The Little Things

Chapter 10 – there’s no need as that between friends
Sasuke was waiting for him, standing on the corner wearing sturdy khaki pants and a white t-shirt. He waited, very much aware that he was the only one there. He briefly wondered whether Naruto had decided to abandon him to his own cause, but he dismissed such idle thoughts. They would come to nothing. In the same way that their conversation last night had come to a sudden stop. The why blazed into existence, pursuing him over the ragged cliffs of his mind.

It was ten past six. Naruto was late, and he knew it. Usually this would have irritated him no end, because he didn’t like being late. He didn’t think shinobi should ever be late. He may have learnt patience from Kakashi, but a by-product had been a self-imposed work ethic to never be late. To respect deadlines. Punctuality lent itself to the business.

This, however, was a moot point on Naruto’s mind. Instead he thought of last night, and how good it felt, really, to leave him waiting. He didn’t care if he’d kissed him, if hands had been places they shouldn’t have been, but his attitude was pissing him off.

So it felt good to leave him waiting. This is why Naruto took his time, enjoying the dawn air that was so familiar to him now. He pointedly didn’t offer an apology when he finally met Sasuke, exactly seventeen minutes late. He nodded, and Sasuke started, leading the way towards his new land.

Naruto wondered why he’d offered. It didn’t make sense, but then neither did lips moving against his roughly, demandingly. The walked in tandem, both lost in their thoughts. But Naruto paid attention to where they were going. Down the street, then a left, straight down and a right towards the edge of Konoha. He was faced with a thick jungle. Suddenly he felt crazy for taking this on, for agreeing to help Sasuke particularly now when everything was up in the air.

“20 acres.” Sasuke murmured contentedly. Naruto wanted to shake him out of this bovine complacency. Instead he whistled appreciatively, because it is what he would have done without all of this blocking the two of them.

“Where do you want to start?” he asked. Sasuke motioned for him to follow, taking him deeper into the forest. Naruto breathed in the fresh air, clearing his lungs with the heavy scent of fresh earth and budding leaves.

“Further in. I want to keep the buildings away from the street, for privacy.”

“How much land do you want to clear?” He was gearing up to the challenge.

“Eight acres – two by four, width facing the street.” Sasuke stopped, throwing his arms out to give a general idea of what he wanted.

“So, do what we did for the boat? Cut down the trees, strip them and throw the logs together onto a heap?”

“Basically. Luckily the trees grow far apart, and there’s a sizeable clearing nearby. We need to clear enough to build the house, which means clearing more land than the house needs.” Sasuke had a grim set to his face that spoke of determination. Naruto bounced on his heels.

“Let’s get started then.” The benefit of being shinobi had been discovered a long time ago. Chakra control meant they could create short burst of flat energy that could be used to chop down trees. The missions spent gardening and doing other yard work suddenly had a purpose.

They got to work, Naruto humming a little off tune, Sasuke working in stoic silence. They chopped down the trees, taking them to the clearing and there stripping them off their branches.

As the sun rose towards its daily throne, their pace slowed under the unforgiving heat, until they decided to break up for lunch. They walked back into town, aware of the sweat that clung to them. The day, up to this point, had passed in companionable silence, broken by random comments from Naruto. Naruto hadn’t forgotten about the bird he’d sent to Gaara, and he was confident there would be a reply today.

“I’ll meet you at the inn; I need to check on something.” Naruto said offhand, waiting for Sasuke to say something so he could get on with it. Sasuke shrugged, a carefully emulating Naruto’s response, but it didn’t sit well on his shoulders, rolling awkwardly over them. Naruto took it as it came, swiftly heading off towards the post office.

Sasuke continued on his way, the waitress didn’t give him a second glance as he strode in through the door, calm suppressed fury battering at the walls of his mind. Why was he so tightly strung about Gaara anyway? It didn’t make any sense if he questioned it, but there it was nonetheless, a single sphere that refused to budge.

He ordered for the both of them. He waited, the food came.

He started eating, slowly. Ten minutes later Naruto came in, deep in thought, barely avoiding low tables and chairs that stuck out. He seated himself without a word, throwing a nod of appreciation Sasuke’s way for having ordered. He started to eat, but it was without thought and his customary enjoyment. Too mechanic, an automatic way of eating.

Sasuke resigned himself to waiting it out. They soon finished, but it was only when the waitress came and took the plates that Naruto seemed to shake the dour mood off himself, coming to. Sasuke knew it in the way his shoulders stretched and straightened under his tee-shirt. Like moving after being chained.

“So?” Sasuke asked, deliberately idle. Naruto blinked at him.

“Not good news.” He folded his arms behind his head, Sasuke’s glance roved over lean gold skin, darkened by time spent in the sun. Naruto spread his legs slightly, stretching them out to box the table, sinking slightly into the seat with a relaxed manner. “Gaara found the village. Not a lot of it left. Most dead.” He paused. “On the other hand he’s Kazekage now, and he’s in talks with Tsunade, but what about he didn’t say.”

“I see.” Sasuke interjected, but it went almost unnoticed as Naruto began to speak again.

“We’re lucky. So lucky. This could have been like any number of other villages out there, completely destroyed, all human life obliterated without a trace. We could have been old men, waiting for time to swallow us. But we’re not, we’re alive, and prospering, of all things. So perverse, it doesn’t make sense. At the end of the day we are just lucky.” Naruto said, and Sasuke understood the feeling behind the words, one of intense guilt and relief, one warring with the other, not sure which to accept over the other. Coming to the realization that you had to live with both.

He dug in his pocket, searching for his wallet. He drew out some notes and placed them on the table, Naruto standing with him, visibly agitated.

He began again—“Don’t you understand, Sasuke? We could be dead, all of this could be dead, and it would be like we found it, nothing but—.”

“Yes.” Sasuke ground out, grimly. The rising hysteria didn’t fit Naruto, didn’t fit his jaw, or teeth that glinted darkly above lips. Naruto stopped, as if aware that his thoughts were on display.

“Back to work.” Naruto sighed, shifting back to the main focus of the day. They stepped out, leisurely walking back to the land, giving themselves time to digest the food.

They got back to the land, and suddenly their work over the past few hours looked more substantial than it had before. Tree trunks, bare-faced, glared at the sky. They swept their gaze over the land, the breeze drifting over flat land that rose to grassy hummocks. A moment to appreciate their work. Then they started again, creating the last section of the rectangle, Naruto humming again, Sasuke working, efficiently quiet.

They stripped down to their trousers once the sweat exhausted the last strands of dry fabric. Muscles toiled under the hot sun, cutting, stripping, stacking. They fell into the rhythm of the work, and Naruto enjoyed the simple pleasure of doing so, even if it nagged at him inside to be cutting down shelter, a home.

And it came to him unbidden, it was the image, that still picture, the shadow underneath the mushrooms that nestled at the base of the tree. A tree that was just that shade of brown, that thick bark that peeled back to reveal green-white flesh, fresh against teeth that flashed at night. It came on so unexpectedly that he lost control of his chakra and stood there, beset by a sudden onslaught of memories that weren’t his but felt so familiar, as if he had been there, as if he had experienced it.

With every breath he could feel a power surge around him, something he knew and understood but had always had to ask for was his, was being given to him. Was being made his. But the images came again, mingling with the surge engulfing his lungs, the air burning as he breathed in, flickers of fire hitting villages that had dared to take his space, dared to take his trees and use them for houses and villages and fences, dared to fence him out in what was his.

His eyes shifted from that to reality, mixing the two and he could feel the seductive edge that shivered down his fingertips, dancing, sparking lightly.

The memories swam from side to side, leaving a bitter feeling of longing on his tongue, one that tasted of mountain dens hidden behind trees of the ages. Tall and proud, these trees threatened the sky, and the touch of bark against skin, against fur, against themselves was rough and satisfying.

Abruptly the feedback stopped, and Sasuke was calling down to him, wondering why the rhythm to their work had been broken.

It was time to see Tsunade.

Later that evening, after they had finished clearing the rest of the land and he’d made his excuses, after he had showered and changed, he was standing in front of Tsunade’s office, waiting for her to let him in. She was working late evening, fully booked, but he’d made the nature of his troubles clear in very few words.

She opened the door for him, a hint that he hadn’t been misunderstood. She looked him over, even though her gaze was sharp and piercing, the tiredness clung to her body, lines under her eyes speaking of the stress she was suffering from.

“So, tell me what happened.” She said, adopting a business-like manner, offering him a seat in front of her severely crowded desk.

“Your bed-side manner is seriously lacking these days, baa-chan.” He grinned at her, but it lost its strength when she barely smiled back. He got to the point. “I was chopping trees with Sasuke when all of a sudden I felt this huge power surge within me, and with it all these snapshots, images that were like memories.” He paused, then whispered. “As if I had been there, all of trees, forests, mountains…. But I didn’t recognize any of them.” He tapped his foot in agitation.

“The fox’s memories.” She stated.

“Yeah.”

“The fox’s chakra.”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s see your seal.” She motioned for him to stand up. He stripped himself off the t-shirt, and she came round to examine it. A few long minutes passed with each breath Naruto held, hoping nothing had changed. She tickled him with gentle probings of chakra, but nothing came of it.

“Looks fine to me.” She said, and Naruto let the t-shirt fall into place as they both settled back into their respective chairs. Tsunade massaged her temples slowly, letting a sigh fall past her lips. “The seal is fine Naruto, has been for the past 18 years and will continue to hold. What is happening is that you’re taking over more of the chakra from the fox. You’re digging into the core of the chakra now, and with it comes the many memories that are tied to that chakra.”

“Are you sure?”

“Very. The seal is water-tight, but I’ll get Jiraiya to check in on you when he’s next back.” He was somewhat reassured by this, but he considered telling her about losing his temper. Naruto didn’t think that would go down very well with her, and in many respects it was a characteristic he himself had, rather than one of the fox. He had to learn to control himself, and the chakra that came with it. And she had said the seal was fine, that nothing had changed. He said nothing about it.

“Thanks, I’ll leave you now.” He said, standing up. Tsunade gave him a weak smile, pushing paper on her desk absently.

“Take care.” She called as he left her in the office.

---

Sasuke fingered the slip of paper in the pocket of his slacks, despite having memorized the addresses the moment he saw them. To the point where he could recall the sharp angular writing Naruto had. He stood in front of the door of the flat, knowing that behind it lay Sakura. It bothered him. Endlessly.

What was he supposed to say to her?

He rudely pushed those thoughts out of his head, concentrating on the task before him. He rapped on the door, three times. A polite, decisive number. He could hear movement behind the wall, steps that approached the door - he braced himself.

The door opened, revealing a tall, strong muscled man who carried himself gently. It may have been five years, but Lee was still instantly recognisable. Time with Sakura had bettered his style, Sasuke noticed.

The man gave him a blank look, gaze drifting down him to stop slightly off-center, at the small Uchiha symbol emblazoned on the shirt.

“Uchiha Sasuke.” Lee’s voice rumbled.

“Rock Lee.” Sasuke replied. The tension was palpable, until Lee gave a knowing smile and called Sakura, stepping to the side. Sasuke came in, glancing over furniture. Lee was languid, slowly stepping from one area to the next, but as they both well knew this was deceptive. He declined sitting on the couch, not wanting to sit when Sakura wasn’t in the room yet. Instead they both stood, awkwardness colouring the moment.

He was just about to make some kind of small-talk when Sakura came in, wearing dark trousers and a long pink t-shirt. She moved with an easy grace, and Sasuke nearly frowned. He bowed his head slightly, acknowledging her, and a rush of colour flooded her face

“Sasuke.” She said, almost like she couldn’t believe it was him. Sakura wasn’t sure why exactly she wasn’t punching him, not reacting in the way she had expected from herself. She wanted to laugh, to cry, to be angry at him. Instead she was looking at him as if nothing had changed other than their height. Still those deep eyes, that black hair, that strong face. The obsessive crush had ended a long time ago, rather generously supported by his defection. Lee’s hand found hers, their fingers twining together behind her back. She could feel his support behind her, someone she could rely on.

“Sakura.” Sasuke didn’t miss the hands, and somehow nearly felt ashamed of himself. He didn’t like it. “Congratulations on your engagement.” He started suddenly. He thought somehow that this would break the ice, the cold frost between them. Instead her gaze narrowed, she loosened her hand from Lee, crossed the distance and slapped him. It held no real force, and Sasuke didn’t duck. But it smarted, and her anger mattered more to him.

“Don’t you come back and just congratulate me on my engagement!” she shouted. Lee looked uncomfortable in the background, and Sasuke bore the onslaught. “How can you just… pretend nothing happened? You left us!” she shouted, furious, but even as she shouted her words began to choke. Tears cornered her eyes, her hands flew up to her face, covering her mouth as she sought to calm down. Lee hugged her from behind and Sasuke suddenly felt so unwelcome here.

And he couldn’t pretend he didn’t care, that her emotions didn’t matter. He didn’t know why, but all of a sudden he couldn’t cut himself off from it. After all, he’d come to her house. He’d reinitiated contact. At her request, but he knew that in the past he wouldn’t have necessarily honoured that request.

He couldn’t think of anything to say to her. She didn’t understand, so how was he supposed to apologize? Seeking to calm herself down, she leant back into Lee’s embrace, dimly feeling Sasuke’s approach and then the extra arms that hugged her, briefly firm.

“I’m sorry, Sakura… I’m….” Sasuke started off, trying not to make this worse but somehow better.

“It’s just, I have no words. Do you understand? I have no words to explain this. To tell you…. I just don’t.” Sakura said, and then turned away from him into Lee’s chest.

“I wasn’t aiming to hurt you.” Naruto’s words came back at him, chastising him. Suddenly he understood what he had been saying. She turned to him, and he searched her face, looking for some kind of give. He could cope with the village’s mistrust, he could deal with the tension between him and Naruto, but Sakura’s anger and tears? He didn’t want to deal with it.

“But you did.” She whispered. “I’m glad you’re back, but don’t think you can come in here and pretend…. I won’t let you.” She wiped at her tears, a determined smile on her face. “But thank you, anyway.”

Sasuke smiled back, glad to see the tears gone and this shadow of a smile on her face.

“Sakura?” Lee said, reminding her.

“Oh, yes, we have to go. I’m sorry Sasuke…. I wish we had more time. Give your address to Lee here.” She pecked a kiss to Lee’s cheek who smiled down at her lovingly. Sasuke found it almost sickening. “I’ll be just a moment, dear.”

But he was also happy for her. She disappeared into the back of the flat.

“Going out to dinner with our parents.” Lee explained apologetically. Sasuke was struck by the quiet manner in which Lee carried himself. It seemed a far cry from the boy who he remembered, talking about youth and flowers.

“I understand.” He replied. Lee found him a pen and paper, on which he quickly scribbled his address. “I’ll be going then. Have a nice evening.”

He had his hand on the doorknob when Lee spoke again.

“Make sure you’re staying for good this time.” They both paused. “She’ll forgive you soon enough.” Sasuke shook his head, closing the door behind him.

---

Naruto was back from Sasuke’s after having helped splice the trees down their middles, letting the sun dry them out. Sasuke would be employing builders for the rest, but he had enjoyed helping him.

He answered the door, wondering who could possibly be at his door at such an hour. He was surprised to see his landlady standing in front of him, absently smiling at everything.

“Uzumaki-san?” she asked, her voice tremulous. She was a lot older than she had first seemed. He took her by the hand and gently lead her in despite the coy smiles and ‘no I’m fine thank you’s. Once he had her seated though she let him offer her something cool to drink, bringing a smile to her face. “I just came by to tell you –” she broke off, and Naruto recognised the sudden subject change. She heaved a heavy sigh. “Haven’t been a landlady in thirty years, not since my son took over. He died on the way here though, you know, so now I have to take care of this apartment block.” She put it across matter-of-factly.

“I’m sorry.” Naruto patted her hand gently.

“Thank you.” She peered at him over glasses. “I came by to tell you – and thank you for the drink – that the telephone company will be here tomorrow to install telephones to this block. I’ll have to let them in. I hope that is fine with you?”

“Yes, thank you, yes that’s fine.” He replied, politely. Her frailness scared him. He couldn’t see himself as being that old, ever. She roused herself, glass barely touched.

“Good, good. Take care now.” He walked her to the door, seeing her out.

Naruto had taken the time to find himself something to read at a book store. He leafed through it, whiling away the time before he deemed it late enough to sleep. The flat was awfully empty, and still superficial.

It wasn’t his, yet.

It was still early though, and he had just decided to cook dinner when another knock came at his door. He wondered if this would be the landlady again to tell him something else, but to his surprise he was greeted with pale white eyes.

“Neji! What a surprise! Come in, come in! How did you know I lived here?” Naruto exclaimed, happy to have someone to talk to. Neji had become a good training partner, and coupled with Hinata’s rising confidence all three had become good friends.

“I’m with the Konoha Security Forces, I know where everyone is.” He said, stepping through the doorway. Naruto nearly stumbled at what he said, immediately assessing the number of steps between him and Neji, the door and the three windows in this flat. It was irrational, but he couldn’t help it. Neji was as tall as he was, limber and elegant. He still had his hair tied low on his back.

“Is this a house-call?” he asked slowly. He didn’t like calculating possibilities, not in his flat, particularly when he considered Neji a good friend.

“Business first, then you can tell me how you survived a year with Gaara.”

“Hah, okay. Come into the kitchen, I was about to start dinner. You hungry? Help yourself to something to drink.” He led him into the kitchen where he began to chop vegetables up.

“I’m fine, already eaten.” Neji picked out a glass from one of the cupboards, pouring himself tap water from the sink. Naruto danced around him, grabbing noodles and meat that he added to the mix, quickly frying himself a one-man meal.

“So, tell me what this is about.”

“Heads of department want to know how you got into Konoha without alerting anyone. How, in fact, those on the coast missed you.” He said, quick and to the point. His voice was strong and firm, almost rigid.

“Did we make them look bad?”

“Very.”

“To be honest, I have no clue how we managed to get ashore without being noticed.” They both knew what he was implying. “We stashed the boat as quickly as we could and headed inland. As for getting into Konoha… we waited until it was night and then slipped over the fence. Not exactly difficult.”

“I see. Do you mind telling me where?” Neji pushed a map at him. Naruto studied it for a moment, trying to remember where they came in.

“Is this where the island faces the continent?” The formation of the land looked familiar. It was a rough map, clearly one of which many photocopies had been made.

“Yes.”

“Then we came in here, where the forest is closest to the fence. We went down a few streets, heading towards the town centre. Nearly discovered at one point, but they went off on their merry way.”

“After that you rushed the Hokage’s office and Sasuke stunned the guards with a genjutsu?” Neji asked, leaning against the counter, and Naruto nodded. Neji took the map back, folded it up after making a few marks on it and pushed it into a pocket on his flak jacket.

“Is that all?”

“Yes. So.” He paused. “How was Gaara?” Naruto laughed, relaxing.

“He was fine. I told you he wouldn’t do anything.” Neji seemed disbelieving.

“How about Sasuke?” Neji asked, both of them stilling at this point, only the slow frying of food to be heard.

“He’s good. Busy building a house on his land. I’ve been helping him clear it.” Naruto said nothing, not even thinking of late nights with palpable heat. Neji could see things with those eyes he really wish he couldn’t.

“I see. Glad to be back?” Neji asked, but the question seemed to be hiding behind something. It made him hesitate to answer, but he didn’t, firmly pushing contradicting thoughts out of his head.

“Overjoyed. I see you’re doing well for yourself.”

“It’s enjoyable work.” Neji handed him a plate from the cupboard. Naruto accepted it gratefully, pushing his quick meal onto the plate. He grabbed a set of chopsticks and started to eat.

“How’s Hinata?” Naruto asked, crunching apologetically. Neji smiled slightly, unfazed by Naruto’s manners.

“Can’t wait to see you. Which is why she asked me to pass on an invitation. She wants you to come to a dinner party this Friday.”

“Sounds like fun, I’ll be there.” Naruto slowed suddenly. “Is Sasuke invited?”

Neji sighed.

“Yes. He is. I’ll tell you now, it will be tense. But the Hyuuga and Uchiha Families are related, in the end. He’s been accepted back into the village, and as a family the Hyuuga are prepared to accept that. As individuals though—” he shrugged.

“What’s your opinion?” Naruto interrupted.

“He came back, willingly. That has to count for something. Just how much it counts is hard to say.” He replied, honestly.

“I see.” He ate thoughtfully, chopsticks resting in his hand. “Why a dinner party? A barbecue would be more appropriate.” He complained laughingly.

“You just like the thought of helping yourself to a lot of meat, don’t you?” Neji said drily. He’d observed him at a barbecue Hinata had held one year. Besides becoming more confident, she’d turned into the organizer of social events for their rookie year group. Naruto always wondered if it hadn’t been for Sasuke leaving whether Sakura would have done this herself. Neji checked on his watch. “I’ll have to go now, I still need to see Sasuke himself – you understand.”

“Yeah, of course, it wouldn’t be a complete report otherwise.” Naruto gave, forgivingly. He led him to the door, exchanging good byes.

---

Naruto didn’t know what it was about new clothes that always made him feel so good. These in particular were of an extremely high quality, very much like Sasuke’s. His mission money had finally come through, and with the unexpected inflation and interest added on top there had been a lot more money than he had foreseen. Simple shirts, white, black and navy had the Uzumaki spiral sown into them. He had a few armbands made with the same pattern, dark black with an orange or blue Uzumaki spiral emblazoned on them.

He had on one of his shirts now, and he had to admit it felt good. It was the prologue to an evening he felt would go well. A chance to see everyone and catch up. He’d been concerned, after Neji’s visit, about Sasuke’s reception, but ultimately it was none of his concern.

Sasuke checked his jacket again, smoothing down the shirt before he raised his hand to rap on the door. It opened almost immediately, Naruto’s head popping around its corner.

“Yo.” He said, picking up the jacket on the side, locking the door behind him. “You’re early.”

“Yeah.” Sasuke replied, choosing not to say much more. They began the trip down the hall, the staircase and out onto the street, marching together. The night air clung to them, whispered past their ears with the hint of jungle carried far over fences.

Sasuke was the first to break the silence.

“Saw Sakura a few nights back.” He began.

“Really?” Naruto asked. “You seem to have come out of it unharmed.” Sasuke shook his head slowly.

“She slapped me.” Hadn’t it been for Sasuke’s thoughtful frown, Naruto may have cheered Sakura on. Loudly. “You did warn me.”

“I did.” They walked on for a few minutes, covering a large amount of the street. “Did you find someone?”

“The landlady?”

“Yes.”

“I did. Middle-aged woman, a lot of experience, hardly any complaints from her tenants. I’ve discussed it with her and she’s willing to take it on.”

“Good. I’ll let her know.”

“I still don’t see why you got yourself involved.”

“Doesn’t matter, you did what I asked of you.”

“Do you know who is going to be there?” Sasuke asked. Naruto’s gaze snapped to him.

“Everyone. Hinata went all out for this one, because no one from the old rookie year is absent. You included.” They wandered down the street, turned right and found themselves in front of the restaurant, hopefully called ‘The Gold Isle’. The inscription hanging over the entrance was fancy, and unapologetically expensive.

They walked in, eyes flickering to adjust to the smoky light. A waitress, dressed in black, came over to them.

“Table for two?”

“No, thank you. We’re here with the Hyuuga Party.”

“Oh, I see. Straight through the door on the right.” She pointed out the path to them, and they wove past the tables beset with people to the black-lacquer double doors. The heavy doors lagged under the applied force, opening to reveal a long buzzing table full of old friends and comrades.

In Sasuke’s eyes, they all were recognisable. They were all older, more defined, boundaries established. Harder. No longer malleable, path in life firmly established. They had arrived late, just in time for the first course.

Sasuke was tired. He’d done what he had set out to do in life. He hadn’t taken the honourable route, just the fastest. He didn’t want to fight anymore. He wanted to sit and enjoy himself, but the thought of having to face their disdain bothered him.

A few looked up at them, Ten Ten brushing a careful blank look at them. Sasuke wasn’t sure if it was because of him or Naruto’s tails. Stories of both had long circulated the shinobi network. Naruto suppressed a sigh, noticing the way in which Sasuke hardened next to him. Naruto saw the only two free chairs were those next to Hinata and Neji, who were sat opposite each other in the middle of the table. A seating plan. She didn’t miss anything.

“Uzumaki! Uchiha!” Hinata called from the middle of the hall. Naruto frowned briefly, smoothly sliding it into a smile. She hardly used his last name, but he supposed with Sasuke next to him it made sense.

“Come on Sasuke, we’re sitting up there.” Naruto took the lead, and Sasuke followed him closely. Sasuke nodded at those who bothered to meet his eyes – Sakura, Lee and Shikamaru. Naruto was smiling brightly at everyone, hugging Hinata and pressing a kiss to her cheeks, who’d stood to greet him. Sasuke was surprised at how much she’d changed. Her white eyes were oddly focused, targeted, and she dressed in a way that revealed her confidence in herself, hair falling behind her, oiled black.

She turned to him while Naruto made himself comfortable on her right.

“Sasuke…” she held herself regally. “It’s good to have you back.” There wasn’t a single waver, or a stutter. He had never really paid any attention to her, but he had known about her lack of self-esteem, it had been obvious to anyone. He forced a smile to his face.

“Thank you for inviting me. I appreciate it.” He was surprised at how much he truly meant that. Though he would quite happily piss off the council, somehow their acceptance of him mattered. The shinobi generation that mattered – not the old ones, or the new ones, but the people he had grown up with.

She smiled at him, and he stepped closer, grasping her hands in his and pressing a kiss to each cheek, mimicking Naruto.

Naruto watched them with interest.

Sasuke was aware of the eyes that followed him to the other side of the table were he sat down after greeting Neji. Naruto was opposite him, talking to Hinata and Shino. He roved his eyes down the rest of the table, not recognizing most of them but knowing they were all from the academy. Hinata had organized the table in strict Hyuuga fashion – they, as the hosts, were sat in the middle – and those most important sat around them. He was surprised to be sat next to Neji, and not banished somewhere at the end of the table. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or suspicious. Perhaps they had sat him here because he would be one of the few people that’d actually recognise the arrangement – those from established clans tended to – and didn’t want to offend him. It didn’t explain Naruto, who he was sure didn’t have a clue about etiquette. Even if he did know how to clean up, blonde hair tightly bound behind his head. Wine was being poured freely, and Hinata was in her element, laughing and joking, managing the table efficiently.

“Your cousin is very good at this.” Sasuke said to Neji. Kiba was on his left, busy talking to some person he vaguely recognized but didn’t know the name of.

“Yes, she is.” There was pride in his voice, Sasuke noticed. The wine was making them all warm, and then the waiters and waitresses descended upon them, giving the first course. Conversation was abandoned in favour of food.

Sasuke found it easier to talk to Neji than he had expected. They kept the conversation superficial – something they had both mastered. Kiba was happy talking to Shino opposite him, and so they kept their table partners. Sasuke tried not to watch them out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn’t help it. Naruto seemed to be enjoying himself, and Hinata was liberal with her hands, grazing his shoulder, patting a hand. An empty space formed itself where his lungs ought to have been as he watched them interact.

The second course arrived, and for a few moments Hinata shifted her attentions to her left, talking to Sakura. Neji exchanged small talk with Lee, and Naruto and Sasuke found themselves adrift. Naruto smiled at him with clarity, the copious glasses of wine having done nothing to him.

“This is what life is supposed to be like!” Naruto said heartily, pouring himself more of the white. Sasuke couldn’t help but agree. It was good to relax, and here in this hall, it was easy to forget about the rest of the world and everything that was going on.

Enjoying life was all about being surrounded by people. He knew that, Sasuke knew it too well. It was why he’d sought out Itachi, to honour his clan, but also to get over the grief of having lost his entire family, his mother, his father.

“Yes, yes it is.” And for the first time, he felt the smile not only on his lips, but on his entire face, a lightening of the spirit.

Just as quickly the tide of conversation changed, and Hinata was speaking to Naruto again, asking him his opinion on something. Neji asked him about his plans, listening as he told him about the estate he was building, then told him a little about his work in the Konoha Police Force. It had been a shock to see him on his doorstep, asking about their break-in, but Neji had been polite. As expected.

They had finished their second course, and yet the conversations were still going all over the table. He caught Sakura giving him a reassuring smile, and he nodded back at her. The waiters took the plates away.

It was the scrape of the chair opposite him that made him snap his gaze up. Suddenly panicked at the thought of Naruto leaving, he was merely standing up, wine glass in his hand.

The table fell silent.

“I’ve been asked to keep this short. Again.” Naruto began, and most quirked smiles. Sasuke was too shocked to think about anything. “First of all, thanks go to our host and hostess, Neji and Hinata, who as usual have made sure that we all have a fantastic time. Hinata, your taste is impeccable, and Neji… well, I don’t know what you contributed. To bring this to a close, this is the first time we have all been together since those academy days.” He held up his wine glass. “To us.”

Wine glasses went up simultaneously, a chorus of ‘to us’ echoing down the table as people drank to continued health and companionship.

Naruto found his seat, and Sasuke burned red at Hinata’s hand as she thanked him for the brief, flawless toast.

And he suddenly realised he’d underestimated Naruto. He knew what he was doing. He could expect it of Neji and Hinata, because they had been brought up that way. Even in the middle of the jungle, their backs remained straight. But Naruto slipped from one role into the other seamlessly. Watching him kill and seeing him opposite him, drinking, and Sasuke always had known that he was smart, but there it was, behind blue eyes, staring at him, telling him that they could be darker, dangerous. And cold. But burning.

It was much later, after the dessert, once they had said goodbye to everyone, Sasuke standing behind Naruto, and were out on the road heading home that Naruto asked him if he had enjoyed himself.

“I did. The Hyuuga know how to throw a dinner party.” Sasuke replied. Naruto laughed.

“That they do. Come on though. Seriously. I know you noticed the stares.”

“They had good reason to be staring, I guess.” Sasuke kept his eyes on the road.

“We had more than our fair share of them.”

“I wasn’t exactly well-received.”

“Because you expected them to welcome you home with open arms?” Naruto questioned sarcastically, but the good humour was still evident in the voice. Sasuke relaxed his shoulders, letting the wine sloshing in his stomach guide him.

“I don’t know what I expected.” He said, softly. It was the hand on his arm that stopped him. He itched to throw it off. He hadn’t thought it out this far. As much as he hated to think it, he’d thought of Konoha as the destination, not the goal. The place where Naruto lived.

“Nothing stays the same.” Naruto ground out. The wind buffeted them.

“You’re wrong.” A harsh reply. “It’s the little things that stay the same.” The hand gripped tighter, it burnt red in his mind. Naruto shook his head slowly.

“If you don’t explain it to them, how do you expect them to—.”

“I don’t owe them an explanation.” Sasuke cut in.

“You’re wrong.” Naruto nearly growled out. Sasuke shook himself free from Naruto’s grasp, heading down to the corner. “But I know you won’t explain it to them, so live with it.” He called after him, following with his eyes the lean figure as it stalked away from him. He unclenched his fist, burying the urge to punch him until he finally understood.

---

The news spread as soon as it was confirmed. From then on Konoha was bustling with activity. Temporary halls were set up while builders began to throw up more flats. More land was cleared, more food was planted and plans for rationing this winter were set up – all in case something should go wrong.

Over the past few years Konoha and the Sand Village had become close allies. It made sense that they help each other, especially in such a fragile political climate. There wasn’t even a political community to speak of anymore. Not really. Everything had degenerated into a battle of survival. Demons against the humans.

All of this came to Naruto in bits and pieces, but Tsunade ordered him to come to the shore and meet Gaara. Naruto hadn’t turned it down.

The news that he was doing so had spread very quickly too.

The sun was shining brightly that early morning. Tsunade and a variety of officers from the police force – Neji included, were gathered on the beach, waiting. Small, wide ships littered the sea, bobbing in the calm. Naruto could make out a mass of people on the continent lining the seashore. The tang of the sea filled his nostrils, salty and damp.

He ran his eyes over Tsunade, noticing she seemed tense, but more rested than before. Noticing him, she flashed him a smile, then turned back to the other shore. The first ship docked on the other side. Gaara had made some makeshift docks out of sand.

A mere two hours later, all of the Sand Village was assembled on the shore. Registration tables took their tables, guides took them to the village. Half were civilians from shinobi families, the very sturdy few that survived the disease and lack of food. The rest were all shinobi. They were all tagged, and moved into a different hall.

Last to leave the ship was Gaara. He stood at the bottom, casting a quick assessing glance over the proceedings. He spotted Naruto, nodding at him. He then approached Tsunade, exchanging words. The discussion was quick and to the point. Tsunade waved him over.

“Naruto, Gaara.” She sent them a sharp nod, leaving them.

“Naruto.” Gaara said, and Naruto could taste the sand on his voice.

“Gaara. You alright?” It was a simple question, but between them it was loaded with much more than that. The beach seemed too bright for this kind of question.

“Yes, I am.” He said simply. Naruto smiled. Green eyes watched him.

“Kazekage, huh?” Naruto inquired.

“The man died.” Naruto should have expected such a straight-forward answer.

“What happened?” Naruto asked, wanting to hear it from the one person that truly knew. Gaara eyed him, steering them to the edge of the forest where they sat on the roots of a tree.

“I found the village. As usual, I passed by the cemetery. I found people at work, burying bodies. They’d given up on individual graves. One mass grave had been dug. They were throwing lime over it. I haven’t seen them do something like that since we were at war. I tried to see the Kazekage, only to find out he was dead and that the entire village was in disarray. His second-in-command had died; most of the governing council was gone. I found out from a few people that in my absence trade had crumbled. Contact with villages had been lost. The village ran out of food, now that none was coming in. Rationing didn’t work for very long. Then disease swept through, brought on by a lack of water. Most of the civilian population was dead by the time I got there. Eighty percent of the village, Naruto. I spent the next few days organizing everything. We were weak, and no one pulled it back together. Temari and Kankuro came back from their scouting trip, all of us shocked. I started correspondence with your Hokage, and arranged for all of us to be brought into Konoha.”

“You’re okay with that?” Naruto frowned. Gaara seemed different. The clothes were those of the Kazekage, but something tasted off.

“What?”

“Giving up Sand’s identity.”

Gaara looked at him, and then at the dregs he called his village.

“What would you have done?” he replied, finally. “Trade had made us soft. It was bound to happen.” Naruto said nothing. “Being the head of a village isn’t any fun. Just a lot of responsibility and bad news, constantly. Without rest. Good thing I’m an insomniac.” They both laughed, and to Naruto the sound of it was strange. Gaara’s laugh tickled his ears with its sincerity, a clean easy laugh that ran unimpeded along the air currents.

Naruto hugged him from the side, and Gaara clutched at his bare arm, both laughing.