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Dream On

Epilogue

"Rokudaime." Naruto's eyes lifted in weariness from the paperwork he'd been pouring over for the last several hours, and he smiled a little as a familiar form, clad in ANBU armor and a raven's mask, drew his cloak off and set the ceramic mask aside. Sasuke was gaunter, leaner than even a year ago; his sharingan swirled almost restlessly because of it. He was nearly blind now; but you'd never know it to look at him. Naruto leaned back, sighing slightly, which of course made the raven's ears perk up. "Something wrong?"

"I just miss being carefree. Kinda makes me wish that Tsunade-hime would have pounded the paperwork portion a little more into my skull." A soft 'ch' from his lover made him chuckle, and the blonde stood, his father's Hokage robes fluttering around him. He was a little taller than Minato had been, so they touched his ankles, but he'd refused to have them altered; he didn't like stepping on his cuffs anyway. He made his way slowly around the desk; he'd learned the hard way not to startle the ANBU leader by jumping him randomly. Sasuke's reactions were almost better than they'd ever been with his sight, and it had ended in several initially innocent sexual encounters being ruined by Naruto's habit of jumping the gun. He wrapped his arms around that trim waist, and sighed a little as dark, spiky hair rested against his jawline. "Missed you, you know."

"...I know."

"Do you want me to shift you to the personal guard?"

"...No, I'm fine. I like my place as a leader. We've done a lot of good work."

"I know. I'm glad; without you and your crew, we would really be in a sore spot from the Raikage."

"Is he still screwing with you?"

"More like he's pissed that I invited Bee over to see Konoha...Anyway, I need a break. I've been in here for seven straight hours; Ichiraku's and a trip to the Stone?" Sasuke smiled, and he unbuckled his armor, dropping it onto the comfy couch that practically lounged in front of the huge desk.

"You read my mind, teme."

"Nah, just heard your stomach growlin'." It had become a tradition, starting with the Third, to visit Ichiraku's during lunch and mingle with the citizens. As one of the ramen shop's most celebrated clients, Naruto had to grin everytime he set foot in the place. His people surged around him, all of them buying third, fourth, fifth, and sixth bowls for both himself and Sasuke, then sitting around and shooting the breeze while he listened to, and passed along gossip. Another tradition, started with the Fifth, had been a trip afterwards to the Memorial Stone. It was a long, peaceful walk; occasionally, Sasuke's hand would slip into his, leaving a strong squeeze and faint brushing of fingers before drifting away. The field where the fallen were celebrated came into view, and Naruto felt a weight leave his shoulders. A second stone had been added after the Fourth Great Shinobi War, and Naruto and Sasuke knelt at both, lighting a round of incense and laying a flower apiece on each headstone. Naruto's fingers traced a familiar set of names, Sasuke joining him as the raven's shadowed eyes closed.

First, of course, was his father, in the middle of the first stone, with the rest of the fallen Hokages. Namikaze Minato

Next, his mother, off to the side, often ignored. Uzumaki Kushina

Then it was Sasuke's beloved brother, etched in the ANBU portion of the stone, erased, then re-etched by Naruto's orders. Uchiha Itachi

Then, down at the tail end of the ANBU area, the Copy Nin's widely ignored name. Hatake Kakashi

Lastly, though, was a place at the top of the stone, where the teachers held sway. It was still relatively empty; the other two names had died in incidents almost laughable by today's standards. Umino Iruka stood above all the others, in the position of honor. He had suffered so much, had been hurt so badly...and in the end, it was his control over Kabuto's form that had saved the village. He was a hero...Naruto wiped away a tear, and smiled broadly, closing his hand over Sasuke's as they traced those strokes together.

"Iruka-sensei...Thank you, and...we'll see you and Kakashi again."