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"That will be all. Thank you for solving this problem so quickly, Sasuke."
Kakashi, now his Hokage, told him with a smile under his mask.
Sasuke nodded before turning and leaving the room. Once in the corridor, he squared his shoulders before raising his chin slightly.
He was a proud ninja and did not care what others said or thought about him. He was mostly impervious to whispers, unseemly gestures behind his back or threatening looks from shinobi.
Uchiha Sasuke had been pardoned. The Hokage had absolved him of his crimes and after a transition period, he was allowed to return to his mission.
Of course, this decision was not supported by the majority, far from it. Several shinobi had challenged Kakashi's decision and a period of tension had begun. Some ninjas even dared to claim their Hokage was favoring his former pupil.
It had been a turbulent and difficult time for Konoha, but also for Sasuke. Not because he wanted the approval of the people and the shinobi, but because of the impact it had on the only two men he respected.
But Kakashi and Naruto had stood their ground, neither willing to bow to the wrath of the populace. Each of them loved and supported Sasuke. If it wasn't for them, Sasuke would never have returned to Konoha.
No.
He would have completed his original plan and burned the village to the ground.
As he walked towards the village exit, Sasuke could hear the murmur of people cursing him for his mere presence. But he ignored them. The only time he reacted was when one of these fools dared to mention Naruto's name.
At that moment, he came dangerously close to the person who had dared to defame Naruto.
The whole gang was a bunch of hypocrites. Even some shinobi had the nerve to smear Naruto.
But as soon as Sasuke confronted them, those bastards would start babbling before fleeing with their tails between their legs.
As far as he was concerned, these people were hardly worth his time or energy.
Naruto had initially wanted to live with him in the village and Sasuke hadn't flinched. He would do whatever his lover wanted. It was the least he could do.
However, Naruto had quickly become aware of the villagers' attitude towards Sasuke. And he had lost his patience - there was still a hole in the middle of the main park to prove it -. Naruto had spoken coldly to everyone present and as soon as he'd finished, he had grabbed Sasuke. He had grabbed Sasuke and kissed him in front of everyone and had told them in a tone that did not allow any reply.
'I love this man more than anything. And whoever dares to attack him, will have to deal with me.'
A stony silence fell over the audience. No one dared to speak. Naruto had never lost his temper like that. He had never used Kyubi to harm the village. It was then that the villagers realized how serious Naruto was about his love for Sasuke.
At this memory, a smile appeared on his face that he did not hide.
The guards at the gate greeted him with a nod, and then Sasuke dashed through the trees.
Naruto had chosen a place in the forest far from Konoha; in fact, they had built their house on the border between Konohagakure and Sunagakure. They were actually closer to Suna than Konoha.
At first, Sasuke hadn't been happy to know Gaara was so close to them. However, Naruto had quickly changed his mind and now appreciates their location.
But at his insistence, they had set a trap around their house and when Sasuke wasn't around, he would use genjutsu on the surrounding area.
That way, travelers or ninjas could not know there was a small house there.
Sasuke couldn't be there all the time. Even though he knew Naruto was a powerful shinobi who could defend himself, he preferred not to take any risks. Especially in the last year.
Another smile appeared on his tired face as he hopped from branch to branch on his way home.
On a visit to Suna over a year ago, Gaara had shown them a new part of the village he'd built.
There were new houses, a school and an orphanage.
Unfortunately, such facilities were a necessity and Naruto had suddenly insisted on visiting them.
With a shrug, Gaara and Sasuke visited the place.
The Kazekage and his team had done a good job with the building. Sasuke had been surprised to realize how much effort they had put into making the place look like a giant house instead of an impersonal building. He was impressed by their attention to detail and the way they had worked hard to make the place comfortable and inviting.
Naruto had been silent during the visit, almost sullen. The two men had watched him with concern, wondering what was going on inside the blonde's head.
"How many orphans live here, Gaara?"
After touring the orphanage, they all sat in the courtyard and watched the children playing together.
Naruto's question had surprised the redhead, who had to think for a moment.
"I would say about twenty."
Gaara finally replied.
Naruto nodded and watched the children playing.
Sasuke and Gaara exchanged glances and got up to leave. Naruto did not feel well and he needed to rest. His silence, his immobility, was destabilizing for the two ninjas.
"How many of them will find a family?"
The soft voice of the blonde prevented them from continuing towards the door. Gaara turned his green eyes to Sasuke, who shrugged.
"Uh... not as many as we would like."
Suddenly, Naruto stood up and walked away from them without saying a word. Sasuke wanted to follow but the redhead's hand caught his wrist. He was about to push him away when Gaara nodded for him to see where his lover was going.
Naruto was at the far end of the courtyard, crouching in front of a small boy who was sitting alone under a stretched canvas. The boy's head was between his knees and his arms were around his legs.
He remained motionless for a few moments, but Naruto continued talking to him, and eventually, the boy raised his head.
Sasuke freed himself from Gaara's grip before slowly making his way to his lover who was still kneeling before the child.
"I'm too ugly."
Sasuke heard the boy's reply and his heart tightened in his chest. His eyes fell on the child. A scar ran across his face, starting at his left temple and ending at his right jaw.
'A blow from a katana.'
The Shinobi said to himself. A ninja had deliberately inflicted this wound on a child... What crap.
"Not at all. Am I ugly?"
Naruto asked the child, pointing at his cheeks and his wrapped arm.
The blonde smiled at him and pointed over his shoulder.
"What about him? Is he ugly?"
The child shyly looked up at Sasuke, caught a glimpse of his missing arm and looked down sharply.
"No."
He answered again, his gaze landing on Naruto who replied.
"Then you are not ugly. Your scar is part of you, part of your story."
The boy sniffed and nodded.
"But no one wants me."
Naruto's body tensed before relaxing. His head turned slightly towards him and Sasuke knew immediately what was coming next. He just nodded.
"Would you like to live with Sasuke and me?"
The boy's eyes had widened so much that Sasuke had thought they would fall to the ground.
And so, when Sasuke returned home, he had twice as much reason to be happy.
Gaara had facilitated the adoption and Kyohei had been living with them ever since.
Sasuke now had access to a happiness he never thought he would have.
He stopped the genjutsu when he came within a few meters of his house and saw Naruto and Kyohei playing outside.
"Daddy Sasuke!"
Kyohei's cry of joy erased all the tiredness he'd accumulated since he'd left. The little boy ran forward before jumping into his arms. Sasuke hugged him tenderly.
"Did you defeat all the bad guys?"
Sasuke smiled as he nodded, then planted a kiss on the boy's forehead.
"Yes, big boy."
Naruto came over, his handsome face smiling and his blue eyes shining with joy. He wrapped his arms around him and gently squeezed Kyohei between them, who burst out laughing.
"Welcome home."
And they hugged each other tenderly before Kyohei broke away and ran home.
Naruto and Sasuke followed him hand in hand.
He didn't care what they said. Because this was the place in the world that meant the most to him, this was his oasis.