Fading Scars

This was written as a one-on-one RP, so the point of view of the story will change, usually with every paragraph. Scenes will also change abruptly and large periods of time will pass with little notice, though I’ll try to give some warning at the beginning of the chapter.

***Warnings for some graphic material***

Thoughts in Italics


Please read and enjoy!

***Note: Ninety-one reviews! @_@ It’s incredible. I wonder if this fic will make it to 100….. I’m surprised people are still following! It’s been so long. I know it’s taken a while to get out, but hopefully now that things are settling down for me, I’ll be able to post more. Thanks everyone for reading this far!! I hope you’ll like the rest!***

Fading Scars
Chapter Forty-Three:

Tsunade was still in her meeting with the Stone Country ambassadors when one of her aids reported that Naruto was back. She had sent him on a simple mission, at his own request, just getting him out of the village for a while. Though the request made her curious he couldn't have returned with better timing, and she excused herself from her guests a moment to meet him in the next room. "Uzumaki."

Naruto bowed politely, pulling out the scroll he'd been sent to get from the capitol--some message of the King's, though he didn't know much more than that. "Here it is. I didn't have any problems, though the capitol is really big. I nearly got lost."

Tsunade accepted the scroll. "Well done. But before you go, Naruto, there's someone here I think you should meet." She turned to lead the way. "Ambassadors from Stone Country."

He straightened, surprised. He'd heard the talk, of course, about the reclusive country finally sending someone to speak with them. "You want me to meet them?" he asked, not sure where Tsunade might have been going with this.

"Actually, I think they're more interested in meeting you," Tsunade said with a secretive little smile. "Come in. They're about your age--I'll introduce you."

Naruto was about to question her further when the screen was finally pulled aside. There were several men around the room, most of them standing save for three easily kneeling before Tsunade's desk. One had blond hair like the rest, but the others....

Naruto was sure his jaw hit the floor. "Neji--Sasuke! What the hell are you doing here?"

Neji couldn't help laughing at the reaction. "Nice to see you, too."

Sasuke straightened, unable to help the grin that spread slowly across his face. "Naruto…." He quickly shook himself. "That's some kind of welcome, after three years."

Seeing both boys actually smiling was as big a shock as just having them there. Naruto hurried forward to better meet them, ignoring the rest of the room. "Are you guys really the ambassadors? Everyone's gonna have a fit you know! Neji, you gotta watch out, 'cause Hyuuga's been in a really bad mood lately."

Neji smirked and waved a hand. "Don't worry about that." He glanced up at Tsunade.

Koshaku was watching his two teammates, and finally decided to just take care of things. "Hokage," he said, slowly rising to face her. "I wonder if we could continue our talks at another time. My companions and I have come a long way."

"Yes, of course," Tsunade assured, smiling at the reunion. Though admittedly she had been a little worried at learning the identities of Stone Country's diplomats, seeing them now erased some of her concerns. "There are rooms prepared for you, and I'll have food sent."

Sasuke bowed his head. "Thank you, Hokage." He glanced to Naruto, strangely anxious. I have so many questions….

Naruto straightened. "Oh, are they in the guest rooms up a floor?" he asked. "I know where they are--I'd be glad to show ya." Ignoring the fact that these were supposedly important diplomats, and that several of the shinobi were exchanging baffled looks, he waved the group to follow him. Seeing them again, especially Sasuke.... I wonder...if he knows about Orochimaru....

Tsunade dismissed them all, and as soon as they were out in the hall Sasuke gave Naruto a heavy shove in the shoulder, only to draw him back. "Damn, Naruto, look at you," he couldn't help but declare. "You really made jounin? I figured you'd have gotten better, but seriously."

Naruto laughed, immediately shoving Sasuke back. "And what about you? I can't believe they made your punk ass a diplomat. Oh." Realizing that the blond boy--obviously the leader--was watching them very closely, he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "No offence meant, of course."

Koshaku grinned as Neji chuckled beside him. "It's fine," he assured. "Why don't you just show us our rooms, and we'll leave you to catch up." He gave Sasuke a nudge. "I'm sure you have lots to talk about."

Sasuke tried to shrug off his embarrassment. I didn't think it'd be this good to see him again. "Yeah, yeah. But I'm starving, too. Hokage had better send us something good. It's been a while since we've had southern food…."

"If nothing else, you'll get ramen," Naruto teased. "She usually gets me some after a big job." Anxious to sit down with his two friends, Naruto quickly led them to the upper floor and the guest rooms. Koshaku immediately waved the trio off, splitting off with the remaining Stone ninja to the other rooms for their own conference. Within moments of their sitting down, several servants brought in plates and bowls of food for them, and Naruto had no hesitations in helping himself to the meal as well.

"So?" he finally said, grinning at the pair. "What the hell have you guys been doing?"

"We're jounin for Stone Country now," Sasuke dove into his explanations around eager mouthfuls. It was a little strange tasting his home country's food again, and he couldn't help gulping it down. "Koshaku--our partner you just met--he's the prince, you know. We're pretty high up in the King's standing by now." He grinned proudly.

"Really?" Naruto glanced at the door. "That guy was a Prince? Jeez." He laughed. "I guess I should have been more polite."

Neji chuckled around his own mouthful. "Don't worry about it. We gave him plenty of warning about you before coming here."

Naruto stuck his tongue out. "Well, whatever. That's pretty cool, though. I'm glad you made jounin--I would have been real disappointed if you hadn't."

"Same here," Sasuke assured. "You know you're famous, even up in Stone? All we ever hear are stories about how a couple 'kids' are the only thing keeping Fire Country a continental power. They must be working you pretty hard."

Naruto straightened in surprise at that. "They're saying that?" He scratched his head, considering. "Well, I guess they're right, in a way. We have been doing a lot, me and Lee and--"

"Lee?" Neji paused in his eating, attention drawn. "Is he.... I mean, he's okay now? His leg...."

Naruto grinned a little at that. "He's great, actually. Got all his old strength back and then some. He made jounin not too long after me, actually. You wouldn't believe how strong he's gotten--and how fast! No one in the village can outrun him, not even Guy."

Then I wonder if either of us…. Sasuke quickly shook those thoughts aside; they hadn't come back here to compete. But the mention of Lee, of his leg, reminded him of the most important questions he'd come here to ask.

"Naruto." He lowered his voice. "What happened…to Orochimaru?"

That calmed him, just a little. "I thought you'd ask," he said, smiling faintly. "Not everyone knows, you know. Tsunade's been awful stingy about the story getting out, I guess just making sure people don't hear how tough things were." He paused to take another mouthful of rice. "Did you guys hear anything specific?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No, nothing. Orochimaru was never Stone's problem--they didn't really care about him. Just…." He reached up, half instinctively, to rub the spot on his neck. "...When the scar disappeared, I knew."

"Did it?" Naruto smiled in some relief. "We'd wondered about that, you know. We weren't sure what would happen to it after he died. Kakashi said it could be dangerous, but since it hadn't been on you for long--and that there was a seal protecting you--that you'd be all right." He shrugged. "Of course, in the end, we couldn't let Orochimaru live either way. But we did wonder, after he was finished."

Sasuke swallowed hard. "So...it was you," he murmured, not sure how he was supposed to feel. His emotions were suddenly spinning. "You killed Orochimaru…."

Naruto shook his head. "Not me--not directly, anyway." He set his food down. It would have been easy to make a grand story of the event, but after all that had happened recently, he found himself just laying it all out. "A group of us went after him. It was really the only way, and Kakashi was the only jounin we had at the time. Not that we needed him," he added proudly. "I summoned those frogs to fight Orochimaru's snakes. Gaara protected us with his sand until Shikamaru could get a hold of his shadow. Then Lee finished him off."

Neji stared at Naruto a long moment, dumbstruck by what he was saying. "Lee did.... And you said Gaara? "

"Gaara?" Sasuke blinked in surprise; he hadn't expected to come back, only to hear about one of the enemies he'd left behind in the first place. "That monster really helped you?"

Naruto nodded, smirking that he'd managed to surprise them. "He's not like that any more. Me and Lee went and found him just after his leg had healed, and we brought him back. He's a totally different person now--you wouldn't believe it! He's one of our jounin now, and probably one of the strongest we have. Next to me, of course," he added.

"Sand's Gaara...is a jounin of Konoha," Sasuke said incredulously. He shook his head. "I guess we really missed a lot after all. And Lee, taking out Orochimaru…." It was hard to believe, and even a little irritating. He suddenly wanted to see the other boy. "Anything else crazy we should know?"

Naruto brightened a little. "Actually, yeah, though you probably won't believe me." He glanced at Neji, glad that the boy had never faced Gaara himself. "Just after Gaara was around for a while, he and Hinata hooked up."

"What?!?" Neji nearly dropped his chopsticks to stare at Naruto. "Him and...Hinata?" Things really have changed.... He shook his head. "I can't imagine Hyuuga is all that happy...."

"He's not," Naruto affirmed, sobering a little. "They actually had a confrontation over it recently, and…things got a little out of hand. But Tsunade recognized their feelings, and even though she had to punish Gaara for getting carried away, she's gonna let them get married like they want to."

"Wow…." Sasuke was honestly speechless. After everything he'd seen of Gaara, his cruelty, his strength...he couldn't even picture any of what Naruto was explaining. Except maybe Gaara getting out of hand. He shoveled a huge mouthful of food into his mouth and gulped it down. "Damn. And here I thought we'd be the ones bringing back the surprising news."

Naruto smiled a little at that around his own mouthful. "Well, I'm glad I got to tell ya, because Hyuuga isn't gonna be all that happy to see you two, you know." He looked meaningfully at Neji. "Are you sure this was a good idea?"

Neji smirked, setting his bowl down a moment. "It's all right, Naruto," he assured. Feeling rather proud, he pushed up the band on his forehead. There was only the faintest of scars left, a slight darkening of skin where the curse mark had once been. "Sasuke and I both managed to get free, in the end."

Sasuke smiled. Even now he was still so relieved for his companion, and he knew Naruto would understand the significance. I can't wait to see Hyuuga's face….

Naruto leaned closer, whistling appreciatively. "Damn. That's...." Grinning, he set a hand on Neji's shoulder. "That's really great, Neji. I'm really happy for you. And I can't wait to see Hyuuga's face when he finds out!"

Sasuke laughed with him. "It should be interesting, at least." He nudged his dishes aside. "What about you, Naruto? Not just as a jounin, but…." He frowned slightly. "Did you and Sakura ever…?"

He snorted a little at that, remembering what had come of that particular adventure. "Well, no, though not for lack of trying. She humored me for a while, probably just to feel good about having a boyfriend, but we fought too much." Naruto shrugged, almost as if to brush away the topic. "Girls are a pain, anyway. Except for Hinata--she's cool. And she's been a big help for Gaara, too."

Girls are a pain, huh? Sasuke wasn't sure what to make of that, but he didn't want to press the issue. He leaned back on his hands. "Well, that's too bad, I guess. But good for Gaara, if he's…happy." It was still a strange image.

"He really is. They really love each other, you know." Naruto set his plate aside, leaving a quarter of it alone--his stomach was still rather tender. He's expression grew wistful. "He's really lucky."

Neji frowned a little at the sudden change in tone, glancing briefly at Sasuke. "What do you mean?" Is…something wrong?

Naruto shrugged. "You know. That he's got her. Even though he went pretty nutty, she's still with him. She's probably stayed by his cell the whole time he's been locked up, I'd bet." Another shrug. "He's lucky."

Sasuke stayed quiet for a moment. Maybe…Naruto hasn't changed that much after all. His voice lowered a little. "You...envy him, huh?" He doesn't have anyone like that.

He smiled a little, chewing on the inside of his lip. "Who wouldn't? I mean...." I don't want to think about this. I don't want.... Naruto shook his head. "She's an amazing cook, after all. She always brings him these great meals, and he's so stingy with them, he never shares."

Sasuke smiled grimly. I'm sorry, Naruto. I wish this place would have changed for you, a little…. "Maybe can get something out of her this time," he suggested lightly. "Since we came all this way."

"Heh, are you kidding? Once she finds out it's Neji, she'll make a feast." He turned his brighter expression on the elder boy. "She'll be really glad for you, too, you know."

Neji nodded, swallowing the last of his dinner helpings. "I know she will. She was always kind, and will be relieved to know there's a way to remove the curse."

"What we should really do," Sasuke muttered, "is spread the cure among the branch family. Wouldn't that put Hyuuga in his place! It's time someone did."

"And then we start a war." Neji shook his head, though he was smiling at the idea. "It's one of the things we're gonna have to make sure is clear with the Hokage first."

Naruto chuckled. "She won't mind. She's better about some things than the Third was."

"That's good to know. But I'd still like to kick some ass while I'm here," Sasuke added with a smirk. "I'd like to see how I measure up against Konoha's ninjas now."

"Ha! Like you could!" Naruto punched his hand, grinning widely. "Maybe I'll give ya a match, but only if you're lucky." And not today, some part whispered. It's...starting to hurt. Hoping to cover it up, Naruto pushed to his feet, hands on hips. "I'll let you guys get back to your diplomatting or whatever. I've got some stuff to do, anyway."

Sasuke smirked. "Yeah, okay. It was good seeing you again, Naruto." He stood, offering his hand. "I'm sure we'll see you around."

Naruto clasped it gladly, feeling...something deep and relieved stir in his chest. "Of course! If you want, I'll even treat ya to lunch tomorrow."

"Street-side ramen?" Sasuke asked with a laugh. "You're on. If the old stand is still around, we can meet there."

"Of course it is." Naruto backed away, waving to the pair. "I'll see you around noon, then."

"Sure! I'll be there." Sasuke smiled. He couldn't really remember being this...friendly with Naruto, before, but…it really was good to see him.

Neji waved as Naruto headed out, smiling to himself. "He's grown," he murmured, almost to himself. "He...looks a lot older, doesn't he?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, he really does. I wonder if...this place has been too hard on him." He frowned slightly. "He seemed a little...lonely."

"I thought so, too." Neji glanced down at their plates--his and Sasuke's were empty, but there was still plenty on Naruto's. "It sounds like he's pretty close to the Hokage now, though. Calling her by her given name, no honorific...."

"Yeah. Maybe she's depending on him even more than we've heard." Sasuke helped himself to a bit of Naruto's left-over food. "Konoha couldn't have changed too much. There's still a lot of fishy business going on…."

Neji smirked. "That's what we're here to find out, don't forget." He dropped onto his back, hands folded behind his head. "And if anyone will know about the injustices of this place, it'll be Naruto. Maybe this Gaara, too, if we could get the chance to talk to him."

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed somewhat distractedly. Ever since Naruto had mentioned him their fight had been replaying at the back of his mind. "I wonder if he'll be upset to see me...?"

Neji shrugged. "Who knows? But he fought with Lee, too, right? And with Naruto, but from the sound of it they're all friends now." It was encouraging, though, to think that Konoha had accepted someone as notorious as Sand's Gaara into their ranks. "I suppose we'll see."

"Yeah, I guess we will." Sasuke picked a spot on the floor and stretched out. He was suddenly looking forward to just that.

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