Wakashudo

By the time Naruto had reached the Hokage residence, he'd calmed down enough to abort his original plan of kicking in every door until he found Tsunade. This was doubly good because Sakura would have most likely have stopped him and it would have been an even worse example to set for Konohamaru then just pounding Sasuke into the ground. Instead, the two had sort of waited in ambush.

When he did finally see her again, the soon-to-be Hokage was surprisingly easy to convince to drop everything and head to the hospital. The two old people behind her seemed less thrilled by her decision. Within minutes they were in Kakashi’s hospital room, which was a first for Naruto, but judging by the flowers, someone else had been visiting. Tsunade did some medical stuff, taking his pulse and lifting his one normal eye, which seemed totally baffling to the blonde. Then she placed her hands on his sensei's chest and his eye fluttered open.

His single eye roamed from Tsunade to his two students at the foot of his bed. “Some stuff has happened, hasn't it?”

Before Naruto could answer, the old woman responded. “You've been out for a little over a month. I am to be the next Hokage. Take it easy for a few days.”

The man nodded and turned his full attention upon the remaining two as his eye curved upwards in a smile, “Don't tell me you haven't left my bedside all this time?”

Despite himself, the blonde smiled back, “Nope. I went with Jiraiya to look for her and just got back today.” From the corner of his eye, he could see Sakura and how upset she still was. Now that he'd calmed down a little more, his anger towards his teammate faded away.

“Is there something wrong with Sasuke?” Kakashi asked sitting up.

The pink haired girl nodded, “He's been training constantly and he's not giving himself any time to rest.”

“He tried to pick a fight with me.” Naruto added reluctantly looking out the window.

Their sensei let out a loud sigh and swung his legs out of his bed. “I was afraid of that. Just hearing that his brother was so close probably brought all of his pain back.” He slipped on his sandals that had been stored under his bed and then glanced over at his normally hyperactive student. “Naruto, I'm proud of you for not fighting Sasuke. You've matured a lot since I first met you.”

Any residual desire to fight the barely pubescent jerk vanished with those words. His cheeks reddened, but it was more out of embarrassment than pride as he said “Are you going to talk to him?”

“Yep.” Kakashi sounded confident as he stood to leave only to be pushed back down by Tsunade.

“Whoa there, I need to check a few things before I can allow you to walk out of here. In private.” she added glancing over at the two Genin.

“Oh, of course.” the kunoichi tugged on Naruto's arm as he wondered why her face was turning such a bright red color.

Before they reached the door, Kakashi called out, “Which training field is he at?”

“Four.” Sakura responded without turning around.

Naruto had allowed himself to be pulled out of the room mostly because it was Sakura doing the pulling. However, as soon as the door was closed, she let go of his arm and just stood there. Silence always made the blonde uncomfortable and after a few seconds he said quietly, “I'm sorry.”

Her beautiful green eyes met his, “Why?”

As much as he liked her eyes, he had to look away, “You asked for my help and I screwed up.”

She was silent for a second, but eventually answered, “It’s not your fault. I don't think you could have done anything. I just turned to you because I couldn't do anything. I'm useless.”

“No you're not,” Naruto object automatically.

She didn't turn to face him, but he could see that she smiled from the reflection in the window. “You two are always saving me.”

“That's not true. What about during the exam and we were both out and you took care of us.”

“Lee and his team and Ino and hers had to help me. I try, but it's like I'm standing still compared to you two. I want to change, but I’m not sure how.”

The blonde was silent for a second, “I don't know what to do.”

She finally turned to face him, “I know it is something I have to do. You know, I know there are three people that would be happy to see you back and the Academy should be leading out soon.”

Naruto blinked at the sudden change of subject and suddenly realized which three people she was talking about, “Oh yeah. I wonder what they're up to.” He paused for a second, not sure if he should stay or go.

Sakura ended his internal war with, “Go, I have to talk to sensei again.”

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Naruto thought that he should have really have looked at a clock. Waiting forty-five minutes outside the academy was not his idea of fun, but it wasn't like he could have done much else anyways. When he heard the students coming out, he was surprised at how excited he was at the prospect of seeing the trio again.

Kids started to pour out from the gates, some clearly happy to have the day over with and others just walking home. He was starting to wonder if they had been given detention when he saw Moegi walking backwards talking to someone. As the other two came into view he tried to look casual and cool, hoping they would notice him.

Konohamaru was the first to spot him, although how any potential ninja could miss his bright orange was a mystery. The kid's eyes lit up and he broke away from his friends. He ran over so fast that Naruto thought that he wouldn’t be able to stop in time, but his young friend skidded to a stop, sending up to small dust clouds. The boy grinned up at him from ear to ear, “You’re back.”

Grinning down at him, Naruto answered, “Yeah and I'm free for the day.”

By this time the other two had joined him and as he spoke those words they all turned to grin at each other. With no warning, Konohamaru and Moegi each grabbed one of his hands and started pulling him along. It was slightly embarrassing to be pulled along by two kids and he was pretty sure a few of the people they passed were laughing at him.

It didn't take them very long before they were on the outskirts of Konoha and when Naruto saw the fallen tree, he was able to put it together. He smiled to himself, well, it had been a month since they had last tried it and in their position he would want to get right back to it too. He was raising his hands to create a clone when Konohamaru said, “Just watch.”

He jumped up on a log and his two friends grabbed his hands on either side just like he had done with his clone the first time. Udon and Moegi seemed to be really trying to pull Konohamaru off the log, but he stayed upright. When he reached the end of the log he jumped off and said proudly, “We all can do it, so what's the next step?”

Naruto suddenly felt a little uneasy. At first, he thought he had broken down the tree walking exercise into simple stages, but now he was having a crisis of confidence. He was concerned that they might fall from a height. One of the things that was stressed at the academy was how to take a fall and he was pretty sure they weren't at that stage yet. Still, he had promised and they had been working hard.

As he tried to stall by watching each one of them do it, a part of his mind realized that a few months ago he wouldn't be having these thoughts. Pushing that realization aside, he decided to go for it.

As he told them what to do for the next and final stage, he was almost feeling as excited as they were. Even though he was worried, this was kind of fun. They each took a tree and he created two clones to catch each of them when they fell. That, and the lack of kunai to mark the progress, was the only difference from how he learned it now.

He watched the three of them closer than an overprotective mother with a toddler in the park. Every time they fell he swore his heart would stop, but they did make progress. At first, it was only a few steps, but they were consistently getting better. Udon was the best surprisingly and although the other two didn't say anything, they definitely noticed and redoubled their efforts.

One time, when Moegi fell, her foot hit one of the clones pretty hard and it disappeared into a puff of smoke. Fortunately, the other clone did catch her and after making sure she was okay, Naruto thought about something Jiraiya had told him about his clones earlier that day. Curious, he tried to think about that clone and to his surprise he suddenly had memories.

They were pretty mundane. The only thing that the clone had really done was watch Moegi and catch her as she fell, but to put it simply, it was cool. He felt a grin spread across his face and then he started laughing so hard that the trio stopped to look at him. It took him a few seconds to recover and when he did, he suddenly didn't feel like just sitting back and watching. “Let's play ninja.”

For the next hour, they ran through the woods, throwing cardboard shuriken at each other. It was fun and at times he would create clones to even up the teams. The blonde knew he'd probably be embarrassed if anyone had seen him, but they didn’t and so he wasn't. When it was time for the other two to go home, he felt just like he had when he was a kid and a game ended too soon.

Konohamaru grinned up at him, his face red and streaked with sweat, “I'm glad you're back.”

“Yeah, I kind of missed you guys too.” They both sat heavily on the ground, and after a few seconds, Konohamaru leaned against him despite the fact they were both radiating heat.

After a moment, Konohamaru spoke, “Can I spend the night?”

Naruto paused for a second as his body reacted to the idea, but his mind still had enough blood to work. “I don't think your uncle will let you. You have to go to the Academy tomorrow anyways.” he added the last part to deflect other questions.

The smaller boy pulled away from him and looked up, “But if he says its okay, can I?”

“Sure, if he says it's okay.”

“Great,” Konohamaru beamed before running off.

Naruto wondered why his friend wasn't just asking him to go back to his place now. Little Naruto was certainly willing. Then, he remembered that Konohamaru and his uncle were not really getting along with each other. Asuma and himself had sort of made peace, or at least he thought they had, but maybe the two of them still weren't getting along. He made a mental note to ask him about that next time he saw his friend.

Despite that melancholy thought, a smile tugged at his limbs, ‘his friend’ he had a lot of those now. It wasn't just the Konohamaru core, but his team and others. He wondered about his one teammate, but assumed everything would be okay. He would ask at the team meeting tomorrow and it was at that moment the blonde realized he didn't know where or if there would be a meeting. Pulling on his hair, he suddenly realized that he could just ask Sakura. She was on the way home and she might know a little more about Sasuke. He left the field with that thought and feeling significantly better than when he had started the day.

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An hour later, Naruto was alone in his apartment. He was just about to give up on seeing Konohamaru that night when he heard his front door open. Smiling to himself, he put the kettle he had been filling aside and went to greet his friend. The boy was slipping off his footwear and they smiled at each other when their eyes met.

The youngest Sarutobi's hair was wet and he seemed a little down. Putting his backpack on the floor, he reached into his back pocket and produced a piece of paper, “My uncle wants to see you tomorrow after the ceremony for the new Hokage.”

Naruto took the piece of paper, which basically said what he had just been told, and crumpled it when he was done. “You want some Ramen? I was just going to make some.”

The boy nodded vigorously, “Yeah. I ate some stuff before I came over, but my uncle made it from scratch, he is not a good cook.”

The blonde laughed, not remembering the last time he had made a meal that didn't come with instructions on the back. Going back to the kitchen, he added enough water for two and stepped back to wait for the tea kettle to whistle. Konohamaru came in and sat on top of the kitchen table, staring down at the floor, swinging his feet.

Naruto was pretty sure something was wrong with his friend and he wondered if it had anything to do with his uncle. Joining him on the table he synchronized swinging his legs with him before he asked, “So how's everything?”

The boy shrugged his small shoulders, “Fine.”

The single word answer was not what the blonde had been hoping for. Not knowing what to do, he fell silent until the whistle blew. Rarely had he been so thankful to hear that sound. The atmosphere was starting to feel oppressive and he was wondering what had changed Konohamaru’s mood so dramatically.

Pouring and stirring the hot water in the bowls, he enjoyed the smell that drifted upwards. Realizing he was just stalling, he picked up the two bowls and brought them back to the table, handing one over to his young friend. The two ate in silence, which was unusual for both of them. Eventually, Naruto summed up the courage to ask, “How are you getting along with your uncle?” He didn't know what he could do about it, but he felt the need to know.

“Okay, I guess. At first I didn't like him, but he's kind of cool now.” The boy leaned in close, as if he was about to impart a secret, “He said that he used to get into more trouble than you did.”

Despite his friends laughter, Naruto frowned, he may be less and less proud of some of the things he had done, but still, he liked being unique. “So, what's bugging you then?

The boy glanced at him with a look he couldn't interpret before turning his attention back to his bowl. Naruto nudged him and after a minute the smaller of the two put his bowl down. “I don't want a new Hokage.”

The young teen didn't know what to make of that. “We sort of need one.”

Konohamaru hopped off of the table and turned his back on the blonde, “I know. I just don't want there to be one. I don't want people to forget him.”

Naruto put his own bowl down, but didn't know what to say. After a second, he slid off the table and put a hand on the smaller shoulder, “I don't think anyone will. Tsunade, the next Hokage, even talked about him and she hadn't seen him in years.”

“Really?” the smaller boy looked up at him.

“Yeah,” true, she hadn't said anything good about him at first, but he had been her old sensei. “And I'll always remember him. He used to come to the Academy sometimes, and once, two of the kids stole his lunch and he ended up chasing them all over the building as they ate it. So I don't think they will forget him either.”

Konohamaru laughed and that made Naruto happy. He searched his memory for another story, preferably a funny one. He told his young friend about the time, during a festival, he had bombed a crowd with water balloons. The old man had been the one to stop him. He had only been seven years old and the sudden shadow that had come over him had almost made him wet his pants.

They passed time like that and the stories eventually became more serious, but even these seemed to cheer Konohamaru up. Eventually, the darker haired boy yawned and Naruto glanced over at the clock. It wasn't particularly late, but then he remembered how tired he had become when he had first tried the tree walking exercise. Looking at his friends eyes he could see how tired he really was.

He was about to suggest that maybe he should go to bed when he remembered who he was dealing with. The kid was a lot like him at that age and he had never wanted to go to bed before curfew, even if he was exhausted. Instead he yawned, although he wasn't particularly tired. “I'm tired. Want to go to bed?

Konohamaru glanced over his shoulder at the table from where they sat on the floor, “We didn't finish our Ramen.”

Naruto blinked, having forgotten about the unfinished meal. “It's okay, I'm pretty tired.”

They retreated to his bedroom and they both started to change in to their pajamas when Konohamaru suddenly turned to him topless, “We should do something.”

“What,” Naruto paused, about to drop his boxers, “We don't have to.” Even as he said that he could fuel blood rushing to his member.

“Well, I always sleep better afterwords,” his friend said grinning at him.

The blonde couldn't really disagree with that and nodded towards the bed. His friend dropped his pajama bottoms and jumped up onto the bed, spreading his legs. He was already hard, his little member sticking straight out. Dropping to his knees, Naruto had an idea and instead of grabbing the little shaft with his hand, he instead grabbed his friend’s ankles, which caused Konohamaru to jump in surprise.

With his thumbs and forefinger on either side of his ankle, he used his fingers to tickle the underside of his friend’s feet. The boy started giggling and tried to kick him away, “Stop that.” Naruto did as he was asked, but didn't let his ankles go. Remembering what he had done with his clone, he guided the little shaft into his mouth with his tongue. Konohamaru, who had only been using his hand in the last month, squirmed as the tongue moved up and down. It didn't take him long to buck and go almost completely slack.

Naruto pulled back, leaving only a thin coat of saliva from where his mouth had been, “I'll get you your pajamas.”

“Wait, what about you?”

The older of the two paused. He was hard and was certainly willing, but “You don't have to.” When he stood, his back was turned to Konohamaru, so he couldn't see his obvious erection. Unfortunately, when he bent over to pick up his friend's pajamas, he heard his bed grown as the younger of the two jumped off of it, and before he knew it, his boxers were pulled down to his ankles. Turning, he saw the younger boy grinning up at him, “It's only fair.”

The blonde smiled as the younger grabbed his shaft. They moved back to bed, exchanging the positions they had been in a minute ago. Without hesitation, the younger of the two opened his mouth and put the tip and a little more in his mouth. Konohamaru's tongue flicked along the bottom and even between his little slit.

Naruto groaned under his friends tender ministrations and wondered if the occasional lick up his slit was just an attempt to get rid of pre-come. It took him a little longer, but eventually he said, “I'm coming.” Konohamaru pulled back, but only a little and soon he came. The blonde leaned forward, his eyes closed, enjoying his orgasm. Before he could recover he felt Konohamaru jump onto his lap, and in surprise, he opened his eyes to find their faces almost touching.

He opened his mouth to ask what he was doing, but as he did so Konohamaru pushed their mouths together. For a second, the blonde thought he was trying to kiss him again. He felt the smaller tongue invade his mouth and it had a slimy texture to it. Disgusted at the unexpected taste, he pushed the kid away.

To his surprise, Konohamaru was grinning, “Don't tickle my feet.”

There was only a lingering taste on his tongue and despite himself he smiled. “All right, I won't do that again if you don't do what you just did.” He supposed it wasn't different from tasting stuff from his clone, but he had been prepared for that.

“It doesn't really taste that bad.” Konohamaru said grabbing and putting on his pajamas.

Naruto stood to do the same and answered, “Yeah, but I wasn't expecting it.”

“Sorry.” his friend said sleepily climbing under the covers.

Naruto paused for a second, searching for his little sleeping hat. “It’s okay. I actually,” he trailed off as he saw Konohamaru was already asleep. He hesitated for a second, wondering if he should join him right away or stay up a little longer. Deciding it would be too much trouble to stay quiet, he slipped into bed. Staring down at his sleeping friend, he had to admit that although the day hadn’t started out great it had been good in the end. Now, if only he had some of that sleeping stuff they'd used to knock him out last night, it could be a great day.

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Author's note: Well that was a long wait for a chapter that wasn't that long. Don't forget to leave a review if you have time, they really help.