A/N: So I wanted to dedicate this chapter of this story to Mistress Ayako because she really is the only reason why I got off my lazy bum (well not technically) and decided to update this story.
General Disclaimer Applies
Story: Forever and Always
Chapter Title: A New Interest
Kakashi had always taken a special interest in Sasuke. He saw himself in Sasuke, or at least his former self. He could see past the cold exterior. He could see the walls he built. He could see the pain and weakness that lied deep within Sasuke's eyes. He trained Sasuke fruitlessly hoping he could protect him from himself, his need for power. He had faith in Sasuke though. He knew that deep down Sasuke would be fine- that he could never break the bonds he formed with Team 7. Not because he didn't have the ability to, but because he knew Sasuke didn't want to. Sasuke needed Team 7.
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"Yo!" Kakashi greeted as he entered Sasuke's window.
Sasuke glared at him, "Hn."
"Well it's good to see that you haven't changed."
"Same here," Sasuke said curtly referencing the book his old sensei was reading.
"Ahh, but this one has a red cover." Kakashi mocked Sasuke as he ruffled his hair.
"Hn," the Uchiha prodigy grunted in annoyance.
Kakashi looked at Sasuke as he stared out the window. He was thinking, calculating something. Kakashi wasn't the type to poke his nose into other's business, but he quickly began to analyze the situation. He couldn't quite recognize his expression. Sasuke's face didn't show anger or bitterness, but rather was calm and cool. There was even the slightest hint of curvature at the end of his mouth. That was it- Sasuke was smiling, albeit a small one, but it was a smile none the less. There was a subtle hint of a smirk hidden within his smile, but Kakashi accepted it as one of the rare occasions that his former student was actually smiling.
"Sakura has grown, hasn't she?"
Sasuke smile quickly faded and his expression returned to the normal stoic one. "Hn."
Kakashi mused at his former student. He wasn't surprised in the least. He even let out a small chuckle at Sasuke's actions. He knew he had found the source of Sasuke's unprecedented smile. He always liked to mess with his students so he continued, "She's even training under the Hokage herself."
"I know," Sasuke bit back clearly growing annoyed with his previous sensei's persistent topic of conversation. "She's still weak." He stated bluntly to reiterate his point.
"Uh-oh, you're lucky Sakura's not around to hear you say that. You haven't seen her when she's in a bad mood."
"I am not afraid of Sakura."
"You haven't seen her in a bad mood." Kakashi repeated clearly amused by Sasuke's actions. "But that isn't the only way she's grown over the years is it Sasuke?" He continued with a suggestive tone.
Sasuke shot the silver haired man a deathly glare. Pervert. He knew of this side of his former teacher, but come on! Sakura was his student, and was what? Half his age? Sasuke didn't even feel obligated to retort to Kakashi's comment with a grunt.
"Oh Sasuke, you know you've noticed the way her uniform fits her. I have to admit it is quite pleasing to the eye." Sasuke twitched at his remarks despite efforts to his unaffected exterior causing the silver haired man to continue with his speech of sorts. "Ohhhh so you have noticed! You aren't as asexual as I thought you were!"
"Shut it," Sasuke snapped trying to remain at least somewhat respectful to the man who taught him his favorite attack, Chidori. Kakashi immediately felt the room grow tense. He had clearly overstepped his boundaries.
The room remained tense as the raven-haired boy stared passively out the window with an annoyed expression on his face. It wasn't that Kakashi's remarks bothered him, noo it wasn't that. It was merely that his remarks were inappropriate and immature. His perverted sensei had spent way too much time with Naruto. The dobe was actually starting to rub off on him.
But now that he had mentioned, Sakura had definitely 'grown'. She had grown out of her awkwardly large forehead, and was no longer the bean pole she had previously been. She had certainly grown in all the right places. If he wasn't Sasuke, he would actually say she was attractive, but he was Sasuke and Uchiha's do not pay attention to girls. He continued to stare out the window while trying to push thoughts of Sakura's physical appearance out of his mind.
Soon, Sasuke's vision was obstructed by a blur of orange and black- Naruto. The boisterous blonde had a huge grin on his face like usual. "Teme, you're back! Oh and if I hadn't already kicked your ass and drug you back here, I'd do it again, just for emphasis."
"Like a dobe like you could ever kick my ass," Sasuke said bitterly. He wasn't in the mood to listen to Naruto's idiocy. Naruto had most certainly not 'kicked his ass.'
Naruto's grin grew, "Awww, teme, you don't have to be a sore loser. I'd have no problem giving you a rematch."
"Naruto, this isn't the time for your nonsense," the thundering voice of Tsunade resounded. She shot Sasuke a menacing glare. She wasn't exactly fond of the traitor.
"I told you having the two together in the same room wouldn't be a good idea shishou," Sakura smiled as she stepped from behind Tsunade. Sasuke hadn't even realized she was there. She gave him a small smile, but quickly returned to a somewhat annoyed expression that mirrored his own.
"I don't know what you've done in the past years or why you're back," she said seriously, "But you should know you aren't going to be welcomed back in open arms."
"Hn."
"That's a serious sign of disrespect. Do you know who you're talking to?" Tsunade glared obviously infuriated with the youngest Uchiha.
"He didn't mean it as a lack of respect Shishou!" Sakura quickly cut in earning herself a curiously risen eyebrow from the Hokage. Sasuke also gave her a calculating look as if wondering why she had acted so quickly to defend him- nothing like the Sakura who seemed completely indifferent to him only moments earlier. However, she quickly composed herself to answer her mentor's questioning look. "You don't know Sasuke like I do. He's just always had trouble with polysyllabic conversation or any conversation for that matter."
Naruto began to burst with laughter at the sound of her last comment causing himself a menacing glare from both Tsunade and the Uchiha heir.
"NARUTO! THIS ISNOT THE TIME!" Tsunade bellowed slamming her fist into the small table beside Sasuke's bed shattering it into hundreds of little pieces. Naruto promptly stopped his incessant laughing and quickly hid behind Sakura for protection. Sasuke snorted at his actions.
"You laughing at something Uchiha?" Tsunade spat out clearly annoyed. Sasuke simply shook his head gesturing a 'no' to the Hokage. "As I was saying, Sasuke Uchiha, you will not be welcomed back to Konoha with open arms. You will have to pay the consequences for your actions. Before I administer your punishment, is there anything you would like to say for yourself?"
"No. I did what I had to do. I will not make up excuses. I will take the punishment given to me." He replied simply with his ever so stoic expression.
Tsunade was a little bit impressed with Sasuke's reaction, but truthfully she couldn't expect anything less from an Uchiha. Nodding slightly with approval, she continued, "Sasuke Uchiha, you will be on probation, meaning nomissions, for six months. Then you will be placed back on Team 7 with Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. You will not, however, be accompanying them on any A or higher ranked missions. If any of them expect any funny business, they will report it to me immediately and you will find yourself in the highest guarded prison cell in Konoha quicker than Naruto can say 'Believe it.' Do I make myself clear?"
"Hn."
Rolling her eyes before moving on, "You should be very thankful to your teammates," Tsunade said cautiously eying Sakura. She knew that she was having a difficult time handling everything that had happened in the past day even though her appearance didn't show it. "If it wasn't for them and their appeals to the council, you'd probably be sitting on death row right now."
Sasuke's face remained as impassive as ever. He was completely unfazed by the entire conversation. Sakura mused. Besides his appearance, he was the same as he always had been.
"I must get leaving now. Piles of damn paper work, you know. Being Hokage isn't all that it's cracked up to be," She noted referencing Naruto.
"When I become Hokage, there won't be any paper work! And everyone will have to eat ramen! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed with his trademark grin.
Tsunade let out a small chuckle before turning back to Sasuke, "Oh, there is one more little detail to your punishment, but I'll let Sakura be the one to inform you." She stopped, glancing towards Sakura, "Can I have a word with you for one moment Sakura?"
"Yes Shishou," She replied following her mentor out of the hospital room gaining curious stares from the remaining men in the hospital room.
"I wonder what she wants to tell Sakura-chan." Naruto said stating the thought on everyone's mind.
"It's probably nothing, dobe, just about training or something." Sasuke stated matter-of-factly trying to mask his own curiosity.
"I doubt it Sasuke," Kakashi began, "if that were so, she probably wouldn't have called Sakura out in order to tell her."
"Yeah, and Sakura-chan doesn't really train with Baa-chan anymore since she's basically surpassed her and everything."
"She's surpassed the Hokage?!" Sasuke choked on his words. Could this really be true? Sure, he had admitted to himself that Sakura was in fact stronger, but stronger than the Hokage?
"I thought you knew she was training under the Hokage Sasuke" Kakashi replied eyeing his student's reaction. It wasn't everyday that Sasuke choked on his words. Heck, there wasn't any day that he choked on his words.
"I did. I didn't assume that she had surpassed her. This is Sakura we're talking about."
"Sakura isn't the same person you left here Sasuke-teme. She's changed."
"I have yet to see it." He lied. It was obvious she had changed. The only question was how much.
Meanwhile, just outside the door, Tsunade proceeded to stare at her student. "Are you sure you can handle this Sakura?"
"Yes Shishou."
"Sakura, I'm not interested in one of your robotic answers. I want the truth. Are you really comfortable with the supervision part of his punishment?"
Sakura immediately looked away from her mentor's gaze and took a large breath. "It'll be hard," she stated with a small choke in her voice.
"Sakura, look at me. You know you are one of the few people that I care about with my life. If this will be too hard for you, we can always go with the alternate option."
"I'm going to do this," Sakura stated still a little choked up, "I'm not going to let the past interfere with what my village asks for me. I'm a kunoichi now, not just some little girl with the hopes of being one."
"Everyone would understand. I'm sure Naruto wouldn't mind either Sakura. We all know your history. It's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Yes, it is! You don't understand!" She exclaimed with the traces of tears in her eyes. "You have no idea how it feels to have been as weak as I was! I promised myself I wouldn't be weak anymore. If I can't do, what am I?! I'll be just as weak as the little girl I used to be."
Tsunade nodded before turning to walk off, "As you wish."
Sakura took a few moments to compose herself before reentering Sasuke's hospital room. "Hey boys, missed me much?"
"Of course Sakura-chan! I'd rather be stuck in a room with you than Sasuke-teme over here any day!"
"You're so full of it Naruto." She chuckled punching him lightly in the arm. Sasuke couldn't help but take notice of the relationship between her and Naruto and wonder when that had happened. He couldn't help but wonder if it would be like that if he had never left.
"I'd hate to kick you guys out, but I really have some important business to attend to with Sasuke."
"I'm sure you do Sakura, I'm sure you do." Kakashi said with a slightly suggestive tone. Sasuke inwardly mused. If Sakura's temper was as bad as he said it was, he was about to get pummeled.
"Kakashi-sensei, you've been reading way too many of your perverted novels. Am I going to have to get on Jiraiya-sama for this rubbish you're reading?" She laughed once again before returning to her serious disposition. "But honestly guys, I'd love for you to stay and everything, I just really to speak with Sasuke."
"Okay, okay Sakura-chan. Hey Kakashi-sensei! Wanna go get some ramen with me? Your treat!" The bubbling blonde exclaimed as he bounced out of the room.
"Not today Naruto. I uhh… have some important things to attend to on the journey of life."
"LIAR!"
Sakura chuckled as Naruto's booming voice began to fade away. Sasuke pondered how things hadn't really seemed to change, but in fact that they had.
"Why did you do that?" Sasuke asked before allowing Sakura to speak.
"Do what Sasuke?" She shot back obviously angered.
"Why did you so quickly defend me when Tsunade-sama was angered by my so called disrespect?" He was annoyed. He knew Sakura well knew what he was referencing.
She paused and then looked away. "You don't know Shishou's temper."
"Hn."
"Anyways, Shishou mentioned there was one more addition to your punishment."
"As long as it isn't moving in with you, it can't be but so bad." Sasuke bit back in a prodigiously harsh and biting tone.
Sakura smiled a twisted smirk, taking pleasure in the bit of information she knew that Sasuke did not. "It's either that or move in with Naruto."
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Kakashi sat outside of the hospital window evesdroping on the conversation inside still reading his book. At the sound of Sakura's last statement, he head shot up, and he promptly put his little red book away. From what he had heard of their conversation and what he already knew about his students, the next few months were going to be far more interesting.
A/N: So I'm sorry if this chapter has a lot of grammatical errors, but I was really in a rush to update this story. I hope you all like it. I know I kinda left it at a cliffhanger and I'm sorry to say that I don't know when the next time I will be able to update. I promise when Spring comes I'll have a lot more free time because I will not be doing any extracurricular activities or be applying to college. So, tell me what you think about this chapter, please?