Title: Reviving Assassination
Pairing: SasuNaru
Genre: sort of angst? well, there's certainly a happy ending.
Rating: R for cursing and some sexual content
Length:1600 words
Summary: It was yet another assassination attempt. How many were there Konohomaru couldn't tell...

"Kakashi, I'm a freaking ninja, you idiot! Let go of me!"

"Hurry and shut that imbecile up!"

"What the –!"

It was yet another assassination attempt. How many were there Konohomaru couldn't tell. He was exhausted by trying to hide them from Rokudaime – something the ANBU told him to do. How was he supposed to keep it from the Hokage, was beyond his comprehension, but somehow, during this completely wearing out trip he managed to distract him completely from three attacks and lie about two others. He suspected that there were some more ANBU had taken care of without bringing it to possible attention. And now, when they were finally finished and ready to head towards Konoha, yet again he tried to kill the Hokage. And this particular attempt gained some result – Rokudaime of Konohagakure was getting ready to beat the crap out of his secretary to get to know every single detail.

"Konohomaru!" he heard a low growl coming from direction of no other than the Hokage himself. The chuunin sighed.

"Hokage-sama…"

"To hell with honorifics! I ask you as UzumakiNaruto, someone who was supposed to be your friend, - why the hell did you hide it from me?"

Konohomaru sifted in his seat and looked up. Naruto was practically steaming – the color of his face was almost matching the one of his official robes. Or the one of the Kazekage's hair – the bastard was silently standing in the corner of his own cabinet, occupied for the time being by the Leaf diplomats, as if he hadn't taken part in decision to keep the situation secret!

It was unfair.

"I advice you, Hokage-sama, to address your question to the ones who ordered me to behave the way I did". Konohomaru said in the most emotionless way he could.

"Fu-"

"Hokage-sama! Speak as a person of your rank should!"

"Fuck them all (and fuck the rank, by the way)! I ask you, the one who should take orders from no one but me – why didn't you inform me?"

Konohomaru moaned. This conversation, completely pointless, tiring and most certainly stupid lasted for half an hour already. What was he supposed to say? Sorry, Naruto, we – I, personally – didn't want you to worry over such a minor thing as your former best friend finally showing his ass with no other greeting present as an attempt to murder you in the most violent way?

"Naruto, stop", hurrah, finally here comes the rescue!

"It's not you I am talking to, Kakashi-sensei. Our talk is ahead, but for now do not interrupt me, please", as if! One thing about Naruto was certain – these two years of being the Hokage taught him to rule.

"Naruto", oh, here enters the Kazekage-sama!

"What!"

"Shut up."

And, surprisingly, he did so.

"I know it."

"…may it be that you're mistaken?"

"Hah, don't even hope. It's the best way to get his attention."

What was it? Did they yearn so much for Rokudaime's safe sleep? Did they care so much for the calamity of his soul?

Well, yes… but, actually, the true reason was lying a little bit aside.

They yearned for their own calamity and their own safe sleep. Naruto knew that name of the last Uchiha for Leaf villagers was a synonym of problems.Honestly, he understood why his own guards decided against informing him – they probably thought he would remember his promise to bring Sasuke back (as if he had forgotten) and begin some reckless campaign to achieve this goal. He couldn't understand why Gaara, his friend and the one who understood his feelings towards Sasuke the best ordered to keep everything secret. He couldn't understand why Kakashi-sensei, his – well – teacher and guardian agreed to it. He couldn't understand the slightest bit why Konohomaru, his secretary and his friend obeyed the order.

And most of all Naruto couldn't believe that every single one of them hadn't realized that there was not such a person as UzumakiNaruto anymore. That happy loud-mouthed ninja was killed bit by bit – with every fight he had had with also dead UchihaSasuke. First wound he had gotten in the Valley of the End, second – in Orochimaru's hideout two and a half years later… then… where? It doesn't matter anyway. The final blow, aimed to his heart but received by his soul was done when Sasuke saved Naruto from Akatsuki and – finally – killed Itachi. Naruto gratefully buried his soul during inauguration as the Rokudaime.What happened to Sasuke – no, to the body in which once Sasuke's soul rested – was out of Rokudaime's concern ever since. Because UzimakiNaruto, in whose concern it was, didn't exist any more.

And now, Rokudaime was with amazement watching his friends, not knowing how to explain to them this strange stew of feelings boiling in him, explain that he didn't care whether it was Uchiha Sasuke, Muchika Brasuke or Babasuha Kenosuke who had tried to kill him.

And he also was trying to calm his 'dead' heart, beating so incredibly loud, that Naruto could hardly hear his own yells.

"You..!"

"Well, yes. It's me."

"You'll get to him only over my dead body!"

"Too bad."

Naruto was eyeing the night sky out of window of his residence in Suuna. His vision was spinning. The talk with his Gaara, Kakashi and Konohomaru resulted in only one thing – he, Rokudaime, was shut in this tiny room until they decide what to do. Unbelievable! But he put no resistance to it. Naruto was dead tired of all the thinking and re-thinking and re-re-thinking and re-re-re-thi… fuck!

He moaned and bumped his head against the wall.

"There's no such person as UzumakiNaruto…" he whispered. "There is only Rokudaime, who is quite content with his life as the Hokage…"

Cold night breeze nudged him slightly as if trying to encourage.

"Uzumaki Naruto is dead." He said firmly. And added "As well as Uchiha Sasuke."

And then the voice came from behind, low, smooth and strong:

"Oh..? And who, might I ask, told you that?"

Naruto didn't turn. What was the point? He was used to nightmares like this, those endless talks with himself and with Sasuke and with…

"Who told you that, usuratonkachi?"

The breath was caught in his throat as Naruto felt someone's lips, his lips kissing the back of his neck.

"I saw myself," Naruto answered quietly leaning back against his body and feeling his arms sliding around his waist.

"You had always been short-sighted."

"You are dead." Naruto relaxed in those arms.

"Maybe I was, but now I am not." His – fuck, Sasuke's! – arms shifted, one rising slowly to caress Naruto's left shoulder.

"It can be… but I am."

"That's why I came back." Naruto felt himself being turned around to meet in the darkness lightly glowing pale skin and gaze of charcoal-black eyes. 'It's not a dream…?' he wondered.

"Why?"

"To bring you back to life."

"What! What happened?"

"He was here! The Uchiha was here!"

"What! And…"

"Naruto is missing!"

What was later on?

Maybe, there was a lot of fighting and bruises and pain and kicks and darkness and hard breath and panting… And lying in the darkness and talking, talking, talkingtalkingtalking – how much Naruto had missed Sasuke, how hard had it been to be Rokudaime without his support, how he sometimes dreamt about Sasuke being his best ANBU captain… And smirking and so painfully familiar hn's instead of proper replies and 'usuratonkachi' and 'baka'… and talking, quiet, quieter than shifting of the sand below their tired bodies…

Or, maybe, there were bodies sliding against each other in the dark and giggling and 'fuck, this sand is everywhere!' and kisses and lips everywhere and hands touching places they shouldn't and quiet moans and hard breathing and panting, and lost clothes… And 'why are you crying, idiot' followed by 'because I'm happy, bastard!'. And yet again licking and touching and rubbing and – hell knows what, but everything so crucially important and so needed that it was hard to believe they had lived without it for so long. But yet again- they were dead, weren't they?

Who can tell?

Who was there?

No one but them.

But one thing happened for sure – they were alive again. Did anything else matter?

Hn.

"Don't worry abut Naruto, he's safe."

"What! You know anything?"

"He's safe. Don't worry."

Everyone fell silent at the sight of UzumakiNaruto accompanied by UchihaSasuke. Both of them looked bad – with scratches and bruises on their faces and, obviously, all over their bodies, with their clothes rumbled and some even missing (Sasuke's shirt in particular). And Naruto was walking strangely, leaning against Sasuke, whose arms were protectively wrapped around Rokudaime…

Everyone fell silent at the sight they had nearly forgotten. UzumakiNaruto was smiling for the first time in two years – or even more, if you count the time, when his hope was still alive and he still believed Sasuke would be back. UchihaSasuke was smirking – in that kind sort of way, when meaning 'well, guys, see? I did win the best girl in town and now she's mine'.

Everyone fell silent except for one person. HarunoSakura smiled brightly and stepped forward.

"I told you so, Sasuke."

"Yes. You were right. Thank you."

And Naruto repeated. "Thank you."