Haha. Okay. Masashi Kishimoto whatever the living fuck your name is. I know you've been working on Naruto for waaayyy too fucking long. The ending of the manga makes no sense. Sasuke tries to kill Sakura twice but they "end up together".

I'm going to make Sasuke getting with Hinata sound more realistic right fucking now, twat.

Enjoy, my equally as angry cohorts. I think we all knew Naruto was on a downward slope. (I dropped the show/manga for a good 3 years and picked it up just for seeing Sasuke and Sakura together like I felt like...It's just disgusting.)

Sorry for the rant.

I'm not even that great or passionate at/about writing.

Enjoy the good shit.

The nervous giggles that proceeded to continuously filter through Sakura's chattering teeth spread a certain sort of happiness over the Hyuuga. The excitement grew from the way that Sakura's emerald eyes scanned the wide road and it's length; the way that she jumped on the balls of her feet as if gravity had no impact on her at that moment.

"He's back sooner than I thought he'd be," Sakura breathed, turning her head downward in thought.

"Would you like me to see how close he his to arriving?"

Her charming smile waved off Hinata's suggestion. "Don't worry about it. Save your Byakugan..."

Her sentence was interrupted by a tall figure arriving at a languid pace. With long dark hair that covered half his face and a cloak that went down to his ankles, he still managed to impress.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura hollered, waving so energetically it seemed as if her arm would snap.

It was subtle but the Uchiha had quickened his pace and was standing before the two women, Sakura specifically, before the bubble-gum haired girl could utter his name again.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura murmured glancing up at him before taking a tentative step closer to him. He gave her a small smile, and a blush rose to her cheeks. His hand rose from behind his cloak, and he quickly poked her in the middle of her forehead. She recoiled and blushed harder, placing a hand over her forehead.

"Uchiha-san," Hinata said respectfully, taking a deep bow.

Sasuke regarded her with the same amount of respect and also bowed. "Hyuuga-san."

"How was your trip?" Sakura asked, her nervousness noticeable. It only intensified as he rose from his deep bow to make eye-contact with her. "Di-uh...did you want to grab a bite to eat?

"I actually wanted to talk to Naruto," Sasuke responded while staring straight ahead toward the Hokage's office. At Sakura's disappointed sigh, Sasuke lowered his tired eyes to her unhappy ones. "Maybe later, Sakura. Thank you."

Sakura smiled wide and rocked on her feet. "Well, I have a class to teach at the Academy in a couple minutes. I'm glad you're home, Sasuke-kun. I'll see you later at the Hospital, Hinata-chan."

Sasuke grunted and Hinata nodded in response, resulting in the strong-armed kunoichi to run off toward her destination.

"Well," Hinata started calmly before turning to Sasuke with a nervous twitch. "You're visiting to receive um...the prosthetic arm, correct?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted with a firm nod.

"I'm in charge of attaching it," Hinata said with a small smile. "Tsunade-sama took me under her wing, and I'm fully confident in the surgery going well."

"You have an advanced understanding of the pathways and workings of chakra, Hyuuga-san. I had guessed you'd be the one leading the surgery."

"It is a complex ordeal," Hinata wrung her fingers. "Naruto-kun is waiting for you in his office, so I think it'd be better...to visit him first."

The Uchiha heir couldn't help but want to laugh at the incredibly soft demeanor that the violet-haired woman held. She attempted a professional interaction, yet her pauses in conversation were just more evidence of her trying to cover up a nervous stuttering habit. The way she wrung her fingers made Sasuke nervous as well, as it seemed she wanted to snap a couple of digits from anxiety. The way she looked up at him was also quite laughable. He towered over the shinobi and even as she wasn't the shortest of women, the way her huge eyes peered into his pitch-black ones only to dart away made him seem like a giant in both their perspectives.

"Are you still afraid of me?" Sasuke questioned, an amused tone in his voice, and a content gleam in his eyes.

"Ah," Hinata blanched. "Well, I-"

"Don't lie," Sasuke said quickly, recognizing conflict on her face.

"Absolutely terrified."

"I'm surprised, it's only been a couple months!"

"It's all I needed," Sasuke responded simply, a smirk playing at his lips.

"Well how was the desert?" Naruto said this jokingly, yet was also genuinely curious. "You always were a living off the land sort."

Sasuke rubbed the area in which his arm was missing from underneath his cloak, which went unnoticed to all others. "It was fine."

Naruto fingered through several loose sheets of paper before flexing his arm at Sasuke. "Pretty impressive huh? I feel normal!"

"You retained the ability to use all your previous jutsus?" Sasuke asked curiously, desire sparking in his dark eyes.

"Of course, idiot," Naruto exclaimed, a teasing grin lacing his lips. "The old lady knows what she's doing when it comes to this kind of stuff."

Sasuke contemplated all this; his eyes stared with intensity at Naruto's fully functioning arm. "Is the Uchiha compound still maintained."

Naruto nodded knowingly, "I had it renovated. I hear it's gorgeous now. The construction workers and clean up crew did a good job taking care of the neglect."

"Thank you," Sasuke said quietly, running his hand through his long messy hair. His eyes were dead and tired, and he sorely missed his arm. "I'd like to get the surgery done as possible."

Hinata, who was standing silently in the corner of the office lost in her own thoughts snapped to attention when she heard the mention of surgery. Naruto made eye contact with his romantic interest, and Hinata nodded in affirmation that she was fully capable of proceeding with the surgery at that time.

"Well alright Sasuke, follow Hinata-chan to the hospital and you can start the surgery."

"I want the surgery to take place in the Uchiha compound."

"What the-" Naruto groaned and mouthed an apology to Hinata, who waved it off with a hand gesture. "Fine, but you have to help Hinata-chan set up everything. You're lucky the surgery doesn't take much equipment."

The spiky haired male grunted and rose to his feet. Hinata held the door open for Sasuke to walk through and shot Naruto a shy smile. Naruto smiled back bemusedly and blushed.

"Welcome home Sasuke! Come back and show me your arm when you're feeling better!"

"Hn."

The door shut softly behind the indigo-haired beauty and the tired-eyed, handsome man.

Sasuke's eyes took in every inch of the Uchiha compound, wondering how they managed to restore everything to the days of its prime. Hinata walked in front of Sasuke, and also took in the status of the compound. Her eyes were aglow with the beauty of it all and she had her hands curled into her chest in delight. She turned her head back to gaze at the Uchiha, to capture his facial expression. As they had stopped in front of the main house, his eyes were surveying the cherry blossom trees that were sprinkling their blossoms over the two. Feeling her eyes on him, he quickly looked at her and smirked at her inquisitive expression.

"It is beautiful isn't it?" Hinata asked, a expecting smile gracing her lips.

"It's as I remember it."

"I'm glad," Hinata said quietly while fingering the hem of her shirt. "We worked hard on restoring it."

"Oh," Sasuke commented, taking a moment to think.

Hinata smiled nervously up at the tall Uchiha. "I was in charge of the garden and Sakura-chan handled the interior."

"You seem proud of yourself."

"W-well," Hinata laughed anxiously. "I worked hard on this."

"You did a fine job," Sasuke complimented with a nod and a small smile. He stepped around Hinata and opened the door, motioning for her to enter first. As she scampered by him apprehensively he let out a tired laugh. "I have no intention of killing you. Ever."

"I...I know that," Hinata murmured as she led Sasuke to the stairs. "I'll run you a bath."

As she disappeared quickly in route to the bathroom, Sasuke followed slowly. His mismatched eyes took everything in the house to memory. There was too much furniture, and he felt closed in. Vague memories of visiting the Haruno household came back to him. Sakura had a cluttered home and the nervous blush she held while excusing her messy room as he and Naruto had to step over an impossible amount of pillows and chairs came to mind.

The slight thumping of sock covered feet took him out of his mind. He'd been waiting at the top of the stairs, and Hinata tilted her head politely. "Uchiha-san, the bath is ready for you."

With a tired sigh, Sasuke nodded his thanks and took a hesitant step forward. Weird emotions filled his chest as he realized that this indeed was the Uchiha compound but a completely different architectural set up. He wasn't paying attention to where the bathroom was. He felt lost in what was supposed to be his childhood home.

With Hinata's eyes catching even the smallest of hesitations, she stepped forward toward Sasuke. As she was about to ask if he needed assistance she saw red flicker in his eyes. While his mind was lost in his thoughts, his eyes had traced her path. She smiled and chided herself mentally for doubting him over something simple.

"Would you care for some assistance?" She asked quietly.

This time it was Sasuke's turn to be mildly surprised. "No."

Bowing respectfully, Hinata gathered the medical supplies and slid open a door that led to a second living area. The main Uchiha house was indeed on the large side. "I'll—I'll be here when you're ready."

Sasuke turned to the bathroom, entered, undressed, and sat in the bath; rubbing the area in which his arm was missing. He felt tired, exhausted even, and he couldn't wait to take a break and simply do nothing. He leaned back in the bath and observed the bathroom. So far, it was his favorite room in the whole house. A single, wide porcelain bathtub with a shattered stone sink attached to the wall and a simple toilet. It fit his needs, and he was a simple man.

A grimace took to his face as the grime seemed to melt off of him in the hot tub water. In rings of sand and dirt and some odd green color, Sasuke felt gross sitting in tainted bath water. He leaned over and pulled the drain, ridding the disgusting water from the tub. As fresh hot water ran, his eyelids felt incredibly heavy. While shampooing his hair with some generic odorless shampoo, he ran over everything he had to deal with now that he was going to reside back in the village that he had once hated.

A blond boy with cerulean eyes popped to mind first. His best friend, loud and abrasive, was what held a candle to the darkness that had consumed him. In a way, they owed each other their lives. Perhaps he'd treat Naruto to some ramen once they had some spare time.

Sakura on the other hand caused nervous curls of heat to roll around in his stomach. For some reason, before he left to explore, he had poked Sakura in her forehead. As it was simple gesture to show that Sasuke indeed still felt a sisterly bond from her, that same simple gesture seemed to have sealed his fate in her eyes. Sakura had waited for him at the main gates like a lover waits for their other half. The blush that engulfed her cheeks made this evident and Sasuke shuddered at the idea that he was now probably expected to pursue her in courtship.

Sasuke Uchiha wouldn't mind pursuing Sakura Haruno.

That wasn't the case at all.

He just really didn't want to think about being romantically invested in anyone. What he wanted was a break.

Once he was done purging himself of the filth that clung to his body, he drained the tub and was grateful that Hinata had enough common sense to leave a change of clothing for him. White sweats, a navy shirt, and a pair of boxers. As he observed himself in the mirror once dressed he couldn't help but smirk at how defeated he looked. His eyes had massive dark circles, like he had been chugging coffee since he came out of the womb. His hair was long and covered half his face, covering his mismatched eyes. He really didn't mind the length of his hair, as it reminded him of his late brother. He tied the white headband once more around his hair to keep it from flying all over the place once he left the building. Sasuke's face was more slender and defined than before, most likely due to his intense fasting in the desert where he saw many a odd thing from hunger hallucinations.

Oh what he would pay for a good meal and sleep.

Departing the bathroom, Sasuke slid open the door to the second living area that Hinata was waiting in. He found her with her medical supplies strewn about the spotless wooden floor. Her long indigo hair was drawn up into an incredibly messy bun, and stray hairs tickled her face as she turned her head to acknowledge him.

She was kneeling on the floor by the kotatsu, her long jacket folded beside her, and slender defined arms left out in the open. "Um...was your bath okay?"

"It was fine," Sasuke mumbled, feeling a bit light headed. "Where do you want me to be?"

"Well you seem tired," Hinata started pensively, earning her an annoyed sigh from Sasuke. "S-so just lay under the kotatsu. I'll be putting you to sleep anyway so might as well uhm...stay warm."

His prayers had been answered. Rest!

Sasuke sat down quickly beside the Hyuuga at the kotatsu, and her eyes immediately went to study his arm.

"It's rude to stare at crippled people," Sasuke mused softly.

"Oh," Hinata took advantage of his laid back attitude and smiled sweetly. "You have so much strength regardless...Uchiha-san. I would never use the term crippled, t-to describe you."

Sasuke smirked at this and turned his head in the opposite direction to stare at the blank wall. He could tell Sakura had lost steam in decorating once she hit the upstairs as it was an entirely empty room save a kotatsu with a fluffy blue blanket. Tucking his legs under the kotatsu, Sasuke wondered when was the last time he had the opportunity to just sit and marinate in the warmth of such a luxury. Sleep was calling to him like the maiden of death.

"It's getting chilly lately...a kotatsu is so pleasant around this time."

"Hn."

"Ah—Uchiha-san I'm going to put you under now, please face me," Sasuke felt her shift around by his head yet he was already feeling groggy and a bit paralyzed.

Groggily turning his head, Hinata smiled understandingly at him and leaned in close. Sasuke immediately recoiled and sat up, now wide awake.

"What are you doing!" He demanded, his face was composed with a slightly raised eyebrow revealing his disgust.

"J-j-just putting a genjutsu on you!"

"And what sort of method is that?"

Hinata flushed in embarrassment and played with her bangs. "I didn't mean to make it seem like a-anything uncouth..."

Sasuke snorted at her implication and decided that he was simply on edge from a lack of sleep, starvation, and possibly slight depression. This feeble princess wouldn't be so ballsy to try anything remotely 'uncouth' with him.

With a barely audible grumble,"Don't worry about it."

He laid back down and tilted his head in Hinata's direction. Putting a couple of strands of hair behind her ear, Hinata leaned over and shortened the distance between the two of them. She placed her hand beside his right ear for better support and fidgeted nervously at the amused smirk that greeted her.

Sasuke always found the Byakugan interesting, but Hinata's normal eyes fascinated him more. With a slight shade of lavender and long lashes that dusted her cheeks with each blink, Sasuke couldn't help but acknowledge her traditional beauty. He smirked at her. The blush that rose to her cheeks made Sasuke want to laugh, but damn did the boy want sleep. The way her gorgeous eyes narrowed in focus told Sasuke that she was no longer in the mood for messing around. His eyes twitched to view her plump limps for a millisecond before he went out cold.

Now, Sasuke Uchiha is a deep sleeper. Always has been. He wakes up only when he wants to wake up. Or when something smells good. This time, it was the latter. His nose twitched, detecting the smell of something undeniably yummy. Cooked rice.

Sasuke was a simple man who could now enjoy simple pleasures.

Rising up to a sitting position, Sasuke ran his right hand through his hair and shook it out. He felt well rested and as he looked outside the window he could see that it was very dark outside. Probably around 10 or so. Without thinking, his left hand moved to run through his hair as well. He couldn't help the genuine smile that filled his face as he flexed his arm and surged his chakra through it. She had done a perfect job. There was no evidence of any mishaps and there was nothing by a dull ache in the area where it was attached. However after further inspection, he found that he could only flex his arm a bit before it felt like the muscles were screaming.

He rose from the toasty warm kotatsu and felt happier than he had been in a long time. He left the second living area and headed for the stairs, fully expecting to see his master surgeon in the kitchen, and wasn't surprised at what he saw. Her hair was down and the ends curled a bit in different directions. She was assembling a platter with the utmost care and upon feeling eyes staring at her, looked up at Sasuke with a relieved smile.

"Good afternoon, Uchiha-san."

"Afternoon," He said politely, staying a respectful distance away from her even though he wanted to see if she made food for two. "My arm feels great. You have my thanks."

"Thank goodness," Hinata breathed as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Upon realizing that she displayed her massive relief, she blushed in utter embarrassment. "Not that I doubted anything! It's—it's just that you have so much chakra, it was a bit of a process connecting the pathways."

Sasuke smirked and shifted his weight onto one leg, having no more words to input into the conversation.

After a moment of silence with only the clinking of Hinata's chopsticks hitting the bowl as she arranged two platters, she looked up at Sasuke once more and with a hesitant smile, bowed before approaching him. "I made a kaisendon donburi bowl for you...hopefully you like it."

The fancy arrangement of fish on top didn't impress him nearly as much as the supple rice that lay underneath it.

As Hinata set the table that sat apart from the kitchen, Sasuke took a seat and closed his eyes in peaceful meditation. Hinata set his platter down in front of him and sat across from the meditating man. Or was he praying?

"Thank you for the meal," Sasuke said as he picked up his chopsticks to commence his meal. His eyes wandered to her bowl and he noticed a vast difference in color. While he had an array of colors of fish, her bowl was mostly brown. "Are you not a fan of fish?"

Hinata giggled at his alertness and nodded simply with a sigh. "Not a fan at all."

Her laugh was pleasant and natural, not restrained and high-pitched. He commended her for it. Mentally. As he mixed his rice and raw fish around, she spoke up.

"I didn't want to intrude upon your kitchen, Uchiha-san," She rubbed her eyes. "I hope you'll forgive me."

"Don't worry about it," Sasuke responded, and a teasing smirk appeared on his face. "If you were a bad cook, then that would be a very different story."

Hinata laughed and chewed her food a bit. "Your arm should heal fine on it's own...just mild discomfort. If you ever feel blocked in any way, uhm...just find me and I'll unblock your pathways."

"Ah."

They finished their meal in peace and Sasuke took several opportunities to observe the girl and remember all he could about her. There wasn't much. What he noted about her now though humbled him. He knew she was not good at fighting back before he left the village, so he couldn't guess how she'd fair in battle now. Being the pessimist that he is, he'd guess: Not very well.

She was talented in medicine, cooking, and being pleasant company. Some people had no knowledge of how to be pleasant company.

He could stand her.

But how could she stand Naruto? He'd noticed the atmosphere between the two of them, oddly refrained and held back. He felt they weren't even a couple yet.

Sasuke helped her dry the dishes as she washed. Her large, lilac-colored eyes caught his and her lips formed a confused, plump line. They were still uncomfortable around each other; yet this was the most civil Sasuke had been to a stranger in a long time. "Are you dating Naruto?"

By the rise of Hinata's eyebrows, and the suppressed squeal he heard from her throat he gathered a response. It's complicated.

Well usually I write like 10,000 words per chapter. This was only like 3,500. I'll write more provided I have motivation, and if people enjoy this. I hope it's somewhat realistic. It's really hard to recover from that shitfest that was the last chapter of Naruto.