Messing with the Middle

The Sweet Lie

Naruto stared into the campfire with a blank expression on his face. It hadn't been long since they returned from Suna, and with nothing wrong other than Kankuro being poisoned, team 7 and team Gai returned home.

What annoyed him was that it was Sasuke who helped Suna before they did. So now he knew for sure that there was still some good left in Sasuke. That just begs the question. Why did he leave?

Oddly enough, Konoha didn't hate Sasuke. What reason would they have to do so? He hasn't done anything that warrants their hatred other than leaving in the first place.

Actually, it's quite the opposite. News has spread far and wide that Sasuke allied with A the Raikage and how he's gone from country to country destroying Orochimaru's hidden base's. How he's freed many Ninja who were experiments or were going to be. How he's killed many Rouge Ninja.

If anything, if Sasuke chose to return, he would only be held accountable for leaving in the first place.

Sasuke has done nothing wrong.

Naruto releases a heavy sigh and looks over to Yamato, Sai and Hinata. All of which were asleep. On their way back from Suna they were ambushed by Deidara. The guy set off a massive explosion that Kakashi stopped using his Sharinagan, and now he had to rest because he overworked himself.

Naruto missed the days when it was Him, Sasuke and Hinata. He's glad to have more friends now, but those days when it was just them three were his most memorable.

"Sasuke and Hinata sitting in a tree!" Naruto was jumping around annoying Sasuke, who was blushing. They had just dropped Hinata home.

"Shut up Naruto!"

"K-i-s-s-i- Ouch! Why'd you hit me!?" Naruto yelled rubbing his head.

"I said, shut up!" Sasuke replied with a glare.

"It's not my fault you have a thing for Hinata, believe it!" Naruto replied earning another hit to the head.

Giving a low growl, Naruto tackled Sasuke to the ground. The two started fighting as the rolled across the ground.

"We have sparing grounds for that boys!" Iruka's voice cut in.

"Ah! You scared me believe it!"

"Hn"

Just the small moments really.

"Naruto?" Hinata's voice cut off his thinking.

"Oh, hey Hina. You um... you sleep well?" Naruto asked.

She gave a light hum. "Are you ok?" She asked, getting up and taking a seat next to the blond boy.

"Hm? Yeah, just... thinking, ya'know" He replied.

"About Sasuke?"

"Kinda, yeah." He mumbled.

Hinata looked up at the night sky, she admired the stars. They reminded her of the way Sasuke's eyes would sparkle in the moonlight.

"I miss him too..." She whispered.

Naruto wrapped an arm around her and gave her a side hug. The pair felt incomplete without Sasuke, he was the one the brought them together. It was only fair that they brought him home.

Hinata's head shot up as she heard a crack in the forest. She and Naruto stood back to back as they surveyed the forest silently. Her Byakugan already activated.

.

.

.

"See anything?" Naruto whispered.