Chapter Text
Naruto woke up to the early sunshine filtering through his curtains. It took him a moment to gain his bearings. He blinked slowly as his eyes rid themselves of dryness. With a jaw-cracking yawn and a whine, he pushed himself up.
Gonna be a lazy Sunday, he thought.
True, as he struggled to convince himself to get up.
Last night was exhausting for him. Seven years' worth of Hokage training, and he will still never get used to how irritatingly difficult his final examinations were. Months of preparation with little to no help from his teachers, although he doesn’t know how much help they would be anyway. He could not imagine Kakashi imparting any meritable tips. Thus, his hard work was put to the test last night in a four-hour examination. Four hours.
It left his brain feeling like a sponge. Specifically sponge that had been squueezed dry after sucking up too much water. His body wasn’t spared either. His very bones ached from sitting still for so long to the point of numbness.
“Ugh,” he dragged out.
Yeah, he was ready for a very lazy Sunday.
Eventually, he gathered enough of his wits to get up and take a shower. With exhaustion came contentment, so he hummed for the whole of his weekend routine. After a simple breakfast of cup ramen- Fuck, I need to restock- and watering his plants- Gonna rub my morning glories in Ino’s face- he went downstairs for a walk.
Most of Konoha’s residents were still asleep, save for business owners who were pushing up shutters and turning on signboards. Some waved jovially at Naruto, to which he waved back with the same enthusiasm. The sun was higher up in the sky now, and the sunshine cleared the fog in his brain just as it chased away the darkness of the night.
Naruto stopped at a familiar bench in a park and sat down. He leaned his head backwards with a sigh and stared at the sky. With half-lidded eyes, he managed to focus on some clouds that began to take shape.
Heh, that one looks like a dick.
“Naruto?”
He turned to see Shikamaru. He smiled, happy to see his usually busy friend, “Hey!”
“Heard you had your examinations yesterday,” he said, in lieu of a greeting.
Naruto cringed, “Augh, yeah,”
Shikamaru sat down next to him. “How’d it go?”
“Shitty,” Naruto grumbled, “My brain hurts,”
His companion snorted, “I bet. I’d offer you a cig if I didn’t know better,”
Naruto hummed, turning back to the sky.
“Looking at the clouds?” Naruto heard him say, followed by a thump. Shikamaru must have leaned his head back, too.
“Yeah,”
“That one looks like a dick,”
Naruto barked a laugh, “I know!”
A moment of silence engulfed them as the two friends stared at the clouds. Slowly, the ruckus behind them grew louder as the villagers woke up and readied for the day.
“Hey, Shika?”
“Hm?”
“What's up with you and Temari?”
Shikamaru spluttered, “What's what with me and Temari?”
Naruto looked at him, confused, “Aren't you guys dating?”
Shikamaru's eyes went wide as saucers, “You shouldn’t know that!” he hissed.
“Huh, why not? Congrats, by the way,”
“Well, thank you- But, Naruto, nobody knows, since we only got together yesterday!” he insisted.
Naruto blinked, “Sakura told me everyone knew!”
They stared at each other, one confused and the other beyond embarrassed. Shikamaru sighed abashedly and dropped his head into his hands.
“I guess we were obvious,” his voice was muffled by his palm
Naruto laughed awkwardly and raised his hands placatingly, “Sorry…I guess Sakura meant you guys were practically dating,”
Shikamaru groaned loudly, dragging his hand down his face, “Please, shut up.”
“Fine,” Naruto dragged the word out.
Shikamaru revealed his face and seemed to have recovered his calm. “What a drag,” he muttered, “How’s Sasuke by the way?”
Naruto’s face must have fallen immediately. Shikamaru raised his brow.
“Miss him that much, huh?”
“Yeah,” Naruto felt himself turn wistful, “I haven't seen him in months,”
“That guy…” Shikamaru said, his eyes downcast.
“He’s happy though,” Naruto said with a small smile, “I haven't felt him be so…peaceful,”
“That’s so weird,” Shikamaru cringed. “I can't imagine being emotionally bonded with my best friends. I’d just be hungry all the time,”
At that, Naruto laughed with his whole chest.
Yes, he and Sasuke were emotionally bonded, or that’s just the easiest way to put it. They can tap into this so-called ‘Bond’ to share their emotions with the other. It started after they almost died together at the Valley of End. Naruto had passed out on the way back home, and Sasuke’s fear brewed so strongly that it woke him up like a nail to the head. For a second, he had interpreted Sasuke's fear as his own. He woke up to Sasuke clutching his chest and begging him to stay awake.
“You can still die!” he glared with those beatiful glassy eyes, “Don’t leave me now, usurotonkachi!”
Just then, he felt the Bond flare. Sasuke was angry, and for a moment, Naruto worried. That is, until he felt a tendril of hunger as well and realised Sasuke was just hungry and angry about it. He could imagine Sasuke’s handsome face screwed up in annoyance while holding his stomach. He snorted and sent some amusement over to Sasuke, to which he responded with more anger. It brought him more comfort the he bothered to admit.
“Look who’s here,” Shikamaru said, snapping him out of his reverie.
Naruto sat up and turned behind like Shikamaru to see Kakashi-sensei walking over to them.
“Good morning,” He said good-naturedly, his only eye crinkling. They echoed his greeting, and the older man's expression hardened. “Naruto, I’ve got some news for you,”
Naruto frowned. Has his paper been graded already? It usually takes about two whole days to mark his paper. Did they somehow mark it all so soon? His anxiousness must’ve shown because Kakashi raised a calming hand.
“It’s important, but you don’t have to be scared, Naruto. Come,”
…
“Full marks?”
“Full marks,”
Naruto stared in disbelief at a smiling Tsunade, “Your fucking with me, right?”
“Language,” she said sternly before her face softened, “Two hundred and forty marks. That’s a hundred per cent, Naruto,”
He could barely hear the applause that broke around him over the thundering blood in his ears. Suddenly, he felt every bit of the twenty-four years of hard life come crashing down on him. His breath felt harsher than usual, and his hands were shaking.
All he could bring himself to do was stare at the paper, his paper, in Tsunade’s hands. The paper that teachers and past hokages had taken turns throughout the night marking because Iruka sensei, his invigilator, had asked for it.
“Naruto,” Tsunade said softly, “You are going to be Hokage.”
Cheers broke out everywhere, and he felt himself almost fall to his knees if it weren't for Sakura. The girl had caught him in a bone-crushing hug while crying herself. The rest of his friends joined, all of them laughing and shouting. He felt Rock Lee wrap his arms around him and cheering while Ino somewhere yelled “‘Bout damn time!”. His mentors stood farther away but no less present. Iruka had tears in his eyes; he didn't bother wiping them away, and Kakashi looked as if all of his regrets were wiped away in one fell swoop.
It felt like Naruto’s heart could burst out of his chest. He smiled so hard it hurt, and his tears were ones of pure joy. He felt the Bond open up and be flooded with his flurry of emotions. The angered confusion he felt in return made him laugh openly.
He was going to become Hokage. A once faraway dream was now a breath away.
He could not wait to tell Sasuke.
~~~
Sasuke felt a flare of happiness so strong, a hysterical laugh escaped his lips before he could stop it.
Puzzled, he did a double-take. Naruto’s emotions are far too strong. He sent back his own emotions and felt amusement bubble up. Sasuke raised a brow.
What had happened? Knowing the idiot, he probably got the biggest bowl of ramen he’s ever seen.
Naruto closed up the Bond, and he could no longer feel anything. A little disappointed despite himself, Sasuke took another bite of his half-eaten rice and fried fish, still confused.
He was in the middle of a random forest in the Land of Sound. After finishing a minor mission Kakashi had sent, he was on his way to a town nearby to stock up on his supplies. He was sitting on a tree branch far from the ground and eating fish he had caught just earlier this morning. He had no mood to fish, but alas. At least he didn’t need a fishing rod. If kusanagi could speak, she’d complain about being run through fish innards.
Sucking on a fish bone, he chanced a glance at the blinding sun. It wasn’t anywhere near midday, but he needed a few hours to get to the town. Quietly, as it was out of habit, he packed away his things and threw the bones at a feral cat who was eyeing him from the ground.
Sasuke had been travelling alone for seven years now. He comes and goes, never staying at a place for too long. If anything, the forests and jungles were his second home. He took minor missions that were far below his calibre as a shinobi, but he didn’t mind. Konoha, he visits rarely, but still visits. Partially, to show those shitty elders that he’s still alive.
But mostly, so he could see Naruto.
Naruto didn’t forget about him. Quite the opposite. He receives letters from him all the time. Sometimes, once a week, when nothing noteworthy happens, or thrice a week when it does. Note-worthy being gossip, a new expensive edition of ramen or complaints about Hokage training. His toad hates them both now.
And Sasuke pretends it’s a nuisance, but he answers each one, so his hawk hates them both now, too.
I should send one soon, he thought. He felt a rush of warmth at the thought.
…
When he reached the town, it was well past midday. His clothes were sticking to his body like a second skin because of the sweat. Annoyance was beginning to build within him before he finally spotted an inn. With a small sigh of relief, he pushed past a crowd of people and walked right into the dingy place.
“Room for one?” he asked the person behind the counter, taking off a layer of clothing.
The pipe in her mouth wobbled as she spoke with a thick accent, not bothering to look up from her magazine, “Room eighteen is free, darlin’,”
“How much?”
“How long ya stayin’?”
“Just the night,” he said immediately.
“50 ryo, then,”
He paid at went up to his room. Scowling, as he passed by a room that definitely housed a couple by the sound of their activities, he found his room at the end of the second hall. After pushing a creaky door, he finally sat down on a cheap bed and flopped backwards.
He was relaxed for all but five seconds before there was a thump on his door.
I’m not gonna get up, he declared in his mind. Stubbornly, he hoped whoever was at his door would just leave him be.
Thump, thump.
“Coming!” he said, barely teetering on a shout. With an annoyed sigh, he pushed himself up.
Upon opening the door, he saw nobody. On guard, he activated his sharingan-
“No need for that, it’s just me!” he heard something croak.
He looked down and found a familiar toad. It was quite ugly. It was a yellow toad with pink spots on its back and big bulging eyes with a bow around its neck. But the last time he said that, she threw up a bunch of dead bugs onto his cape. “Himeko,”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s me,” she said, obviously not delighted to send yet another letter. “Here you go, take your shit already, I got stuff to do,”
A bold claim, since he knows her hobbies include ogling Naruto any time she can. He simply took the scroll strapped to her back and slammed the door in her face.
A giddiness rose within him as he considered the scroll in his hands. Opening it, he realised Naruto’s writing was messier than usual. To his horror, there were droplets of water which he was inclined to believe were tears. With wide eyes, he began reading.
Dear Sasuke,
You will not believe what just happened!! Remember my final exams? I told you about them in my last letter?? I got full marks!! Yeah, like 100% !! Guess what that means? I can become Hokage way earlier than I thought!
I’m so happy, I'm literally crying as I write this. I’ve wanted this for so long, and now that it's here, I don’t know what to do with myself. I impulsively bought another plant, for some reason?
I can't belive it sasuke. I can finally do it. I can start to change Konoha for the better. There won't be any more kids like Neji, Itachi or Obito or you and me again. Not under my watch.
I know you're probably busy, but if you can, can you come to Konoha? Maybe not like right now since the inauguration will be like next month or something. Just whenever you can, I guess? I just want you to be here, since I wouldn’t be here without you. No pressure though!
See you soon (maybe?)
Naruto.
By the time he reached the end of the letter, he was smiling. A proper smile that only comes out for Naruto. Pride warmed his very blood. Unbidden, his brain conjured a scene: Naruto standing over a crowd of people with the Hokage hat on his head. A striking smile and bright blue eyes with a world of kindness within them.
Naruto, as Hokage.
Sasuke will leave tomorrow at daybreak.