Disclaimer: Kishi owns Naruto and company.

Warning: Spoilers up to chapter 476.

Plot notes: Assume that Naruto reformed Sasuke, and Naruto + Sasuke defeated Madara (yes, I'm totally hoping that Kishi gives us this :).

Prologue

Sasuke was in a ward in Konoha Hospital, recovering from the final showdown that had ended Madara's ambitions for good. Naruto was out around town, but Sasuke had not left the hospital since returning to Konoha.

"Hey, I'm back," said Naruto, hobbling in on a pair of crutches. He plopped down on his bed, next to Sasuke's, and wriggled under the covers.

"Hmph," replied Sasuke, bored. "And I'm still here."

Naruto grinned at Sasuke's words. "You should get out a bit too," advised Naruto.

"No, thanks," said Sasuke shortly. "I don't plan on staying in this village. I'm leaving as soon as I can."

At that, Naruto's grin vanished immediately. "You know, Sasuke, a lot has happened," said Naruto quietly. "And a lot of things have changed."

"Some things don't change," said Sasuke coldly. "My family didn't belong here, and neither do I."

"That's not true!" insisted Naruto. "Those days are over!"

"What days?" demanded Sasuke.

"Days of violence, turmoil, instability, and conflict," said Naruto. "Days of everyone seeing everyone else as an enemy, no one trusting anyone else, people jumping at chances to kill each other. Days of everyone fearing a war tomorrow, even if there isn't one today. We beat Akatsuki by getting everyone together, working together, trusting each other, seeing each other as allies and friends. This is it, the beginning of finding real peace! The world's different, villages are different, Konoha's different, and…"

"And?" prompted Sasuke.

"You should stay," pleaded Naruto. "Stay here, in your hometown, and see it for yourself. We're not going to let something like the massacre of your clan happen again. So many things went wrong—Konoha's leaders treating your clan like criminals from the beginning, your clan reacting with outright rebellion, so on and so forth. People like Danzo say that peace requires 'ugly truths' and 'sacrifices,' but we don't all agree with that. We're gonna find a new way, a better way!"

"You say that like it'll be easy," taunted Sasuke. "But there's a reason why things happened the way they did in the first place."

"Yeah, self-fulfilling prophecies!" Naruto shot back. "Madara predicted that the Senju would oppress the Uchiha, but Madara's own actions prompted the Senju's suspicions towards the whole Uchiha clan. And the Hokages were afraid that the Uchihas would revolt, but their own mistrust and discrimination provoked the very reaction that they feared. So, all we have to do is stop the vicious cycle! We'll start good cycles, we'll predict good things, and we'll make them happen!"

"Sure, you go ahead and 'make good things happen,'" scoffed Sasuke. "But I'm not staying here, where everyone wants me dead!"

"That's not true!" insisted Naruto. "Some of us can understand why you felt abandoned and cornered. Konoha's leaders turned their backs on your clan. The other nations would've seen Konoha's internal problems as a weakness to exploit for their own gain. But like I said, we're not gonna do things that way anymore!"

"Okay, genius, tell me something," demanded Sasuke. "What do you think I should've done after I discovered the truth?"

"Come back and tell us," replied Naruto immediately.

"And who would've believed me?" countered Sasuke. "You think Danzo would've just confessed to it in front of everyone?"

"No," replied Naruto, "but still…"

"Never mind," interrupted Sasuke. "The fact remains that I left Konoha, joined Orochimaru, joined Akatsuki, and attacked Kumo ninja, Iron Country samurai, and Konoha's acting Hokage. Don't expect everything to just be forgiven and forgotten."

"Danzo doesn't count," said Naruto quickly. "He wasn't acting like a Hokage at all. And with all his other crap—always going behind the Hokage's back, sitting on his ass during Pain's invasion, and who knows what else—I wouldn't even call him truly loyal to Konoha. As for the rest…"

"Yes?" prompted Sasuke.

"Well, it's the same with everyone," said Naruto, brows furrowing as he tried to put it properly. "You used to go about things the wrong way, but that doesn't mean there's no place for you in the future. Everybody set aside their grudges to get to where we are now…"

"That's your brilliant plan?" snorted Sasuke. "The past goes away, and we all live happily ever after?"

"No, but look at what's happened," countered Naruto. "Akatsuki fed off everything wrong in the world, from villages' internal problems to ghosts from old wars, but Akatsuki also brought everyone together. Iwa used to hire Akatsuki, but they joined us to defeat them. Kumo once sent a 'peace ambassador' to kidnap Hinata, but they led everyone against Madara. Kiri has been reformed a lot under Cougar Lady. And Gaara used to be a homicidal maniac, remember that? Now, Suna and Konoha's alliance is a model for the future, based on true friendship and trust, a source of strength for both our villages."

Sasuke shook his head again. "I'm not a village, nor do I have one that cares about me. Naruto, there's no place for me in your wonderful peace, and your wanting me around doesn't change that."

"Sasuke, we do care about you, and it's not just me!" declared Naruto. "You're not a village, but you are a person, and you played a part in our victory against Akatsuki. Besides, this is how peace works. It's always like this after a war. People who've killed each other's comrades live side-by-side. People who once hated each other's guts learn to coexist. It's not forgiveness, really. It's more like… Well, everyone just agrees that having peace is more important than holding on to old grudges."

Sasuke sighed tiredly. "Where does all this optimism come from?"

"From the battles we've won," said Naruto, smiling a little. "Everyone saw how flawed our world was, and everyone had their own idea for a key to peace. For Nagato, it was knowing pain. For Danzo, it was not being picky about who got killed. For Madara, it was putting the world under an illusion. Any of those would've been a false peace, but in fighting them all, we've taken the first step towards the real thing. This is what we've been waiting for, the beginning of a new era!"

Sasuke sighed again, but he did not say anything.

"Just stay, Sasuke," pleaded Naruto. "Please, Sasuke, stay here, in Konoha…with me."

For a moment, Sasuke remained silent. Then, he relented, "All right. I'll stay for now."

"And victory is mine!" cheered Naruto.

Just then, the door of the ward opened, and in stepped Kakashi, who was now Hokage, with Naruto as his designated successor.

"Yo!" said Kakashi. "Sounds like you two are having a heartfelt conversation."

"Hi, Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto, grinning from ear to ear. "What's up?"

"I have two questions for both of you," said Kakashi. "First of all, I suppose that you want to see true peace in this world?"

"Yes," said Naruto immediately.

"Sasuke?" prompted Kakashi.

"What's in it for me?" demanded Sasuke.

"We can't bring your family back to life, Sasuke, but we recognize and honor Itachi's sacrifice," said Kakashi. "We know that our village's history has its stains, and we're not afraid to learn from the past. And of course, it's a second chance for you, if you can be part of the solution instead of the problem."

Sasuke cast a glance at Naruto. Then, he said, "This idiot has piqued my curiosity. I want to see if this can really happen."

Naruto grinned, knowing that "piqued my curiosity" really meant "given me hope."

"Good!" said Kakashi. "Now, the second question. Do you two care about each other?"

"Heh heh," chuckled Naruto, not even needing to answer.

Sasuke "hn"-ed and did not answer either.

"Well?" said Kakashi, addressing the question to Sasuke.

Before Sasuke could answer, Naruto said, "Of course, he cares. He wouldn't be here now if he didn't."

Sasuke snorted but did not contradict Naruto, so Kakashi took that as a yes.

"Wonderful!" said Kakashi, smiling again. "Now, we've all agreed that there's only one way to heal this age-old rift that has plagued Konoha for so long, only one way to ensure a lasting reconciliation. Best of all, it seems that you two will not have any unconquerable objections to this plan."

"What are you talking about, Kakashi-sensei?" demanded Naruto excitedly, expecting something good. Sasuke merely raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"I'm talking about"—and here Kakashi paused for dramatic effect—"a marriage between the Next Hokage and the Last Uchiha!"

Silence.

Then…

"WHAT!!!!????" roared Naruto.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY????" shrieked Sasuke.

"Well, I'm glad you agree! Kay thanks bye!" said Kakashi, and he was out the door in a flash.

A/N: ^^

A/N 2: Just to make this clear, I'm not saying Sasuke should get off scot-free, but since this fic is purely for fun, everything is only as long or complicated as plot demands :).