Chapter Text
The morning began with three ministers arguing, two security officers whispering, and Uzumaki Naruto nearly walking into a glass door.
Again.
He stopped with his hand already reaching for the door.
For a moment, he stared at the glass panel in front of him. His reflection stared back: slightly untidy blond hair, a perfectly knotted tie, and the faint scars stretching across his cheeks.
Then he looked at the security officer.
Then back at the glass.
"...I knew that."
The officer wisely said nothing.
Naruto straightened his suit and adjusted his tie with exaggerated dignity before walking through the actual doorway beside it.
Behind him, Hatake Kakashi sighed.
"Home Secretary."
Naruto glanced over his shoulder.
"What?"
"Your dignity."
"I left it at home."
"Clearly."
Naruto's grin appeared again as he disappeared into the government conference room.
The change in atmosphere was immediate.
The heated voices and quiet arguments that had filled the corridor vanished the moment Naruto entered. Senior ministers sat around a long polished table covered in folders, security briefings, intelligence reports and handwritten notes. Years of political experience surrounded him from every side.
And yet, at the head of the table sat someone who looked as though he belonged anywhere but there.
Uzumaki Naruto.
Young.
Blond.
Blue-eyed.
Soft-faced enough to be mistaken for harmless.
His posture was relaxed, one hand resting casually against the arm of his chair while the other turned through a classified briefing.
He looked far too young to hold one of the most powerful security positions in the government.
That was precisely why people underestimated him.
An older minister leaned back, studying Naruto with thinly concealed disapproval.
"Secretary Uzumaki, perhaps national security decisions should be left to those with a little more experience."
Naruto looked up.
His expression remained pleasant.
Almost innocent.
"Of course."
The minister relaxed.
Then Naruto turned another page.
"Which is why I assume you've read the intelligence report before making that recommendation."
The man's expression faltered.
Naruto's eyes remained on the page.
"You haven't."
Silence settled over the room.
Naruto continued reading.
His movements were unhurried. There was no need to raise his voice or display anger. The information was already there, and he knew exactly where to find it.
"You've also overlooked the second security breach."
Another page.
"And you've based your entire proposal on a report submitted eleven days ago."
Naruto finally looked up.
His blue eyes were clear and attentive.
"Which means you're asking me to approve a security measure based on information that's already obsolete."
Nobody answered.
Naruto leaned back, the faintest hint of amusement returning to his face.
"So... should we try that argument one more time?"
Near the wall, Kakashi stood with his arms folded.
His visible eye curved with amusement.
He had seen this before.
Most people saw Naruto's messy hair, easy smile and occasional clumsiness and assumed they understood him.
They didn't.
Naruto noticed everything.
A hesitation before an answer.
A folder left unopened.
Fingers tapping against the table.
Someone avoiding eye contact.
Someone suddenly becoming very interested in their coffee whenever the Uchiha investigation was mentioned.
Especially that.
Naruto closed the folder.
"Meeting adjourned."
Chairs shifted around the room as the ministers began collecting their documents. One of the older men paused beside Naruto, irritation written plainly across his face.
"You enjoy embarrassing people, don't you?"
Naruto looked up at him.
His smile was almost sweet.
"No."
A beat passed.
"You're just very easy to embarrass."
The minister left without another word.
Kakashi's restraint finally broke. A quiet laugh escaped him.
Naruto looked towards him, unimpressed.
"What?"
"You almost walked into a wall."
"Glass."
"That makes it worse."
Naruto rolled his eyes and gathered his files.
As the room emptied, the noise of the government building returned beyond the doors. Footsteps echoed along the corridor. Phones rang. Security officers spoke quietly into their radios.
Naruto turned towards the window.
For a moment, his reflection caught his attention.
The confident expression was still there.
But his eyes had changed.
His fingers rose unconsciously to one of the scars on his cheek.
He traced it lightly.
Something distant passed through his expression.
A memory.
A thought.
Perhaps both.
Then it disappeared.
The smile returned.
"Secretary Uzumaki."
Naruto turned.
A security officer stood in the doorway.
"The President wants to see you."
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"My father?"
"Yes, sir."
Naruto glanced towards Kakashi.
"Did I do something?"
"Probably."
Naruto sighed.
"Traitor."
A few minutes later, Naruto entered the President's office.
The lighter atmosphere of the conference room disappeared almost immediately.
Namikaze Minato sat behind his desk, surrounded by neat stacks of documents and several secure folders. The room itself was quiet and understated, with tall windows overlooking the city and shelves lined with books and government records.
There was nothing intimidating about the office.
The man sitting behind the desk was another matter.
President of the country.
One of the most brilliant political minds of his generation.
And Naruto's father.
Minato glanced at the clock.
"You're late."
Naruto looked at it.
"By three minutes."
"Exactly."
Naruto's mouth curved.
"You could've started without me."
For a moment, Minato's expression softened.
"I wanted to see my son."
The words changed something in Naruto's face.
The sharpness left his eyes.
The Home Secretary disappeared for a moment, replaced by a son sitting across from his father.
Naruto dropped into the chair opposite the desk.
"So what's this about?"
Minato's expression became serious.
He pushed a folder across the desk.
Naruto's amusement faded.
He opened it.
Security breach.
Threat assessment.
Classified personnel.
His eyes moved steadily down the page until they stopped at a photograph tucked inside.
He went still.
The photograph was old.
The edges had yellowed slightly with age.
Two children stood together in it.
One blond.
One dark-haired.
Naruto's fingers closed around the edge.
He knew that face.
Uchiha Sasuke.
For several seconds, the room seemed unnaturally quiet.
Memories surfaced in fragments: sunlight, arguments, laughter, a familiar voice, a boy who had once stood beside him before life had taken them in different directions.
Naruto's thumb moved slowly along the edge of the photograph.
Then he set it down.
"Why is this here?"
Minato didn't answer immediately.
Naruto looked at him.
"Dad."
"Someone sent it."
Naruto turned the photograph over.
Five words had been written across the back in black ink.
STOP DIGGING INTO THE PAST.
The warmth vanished from Naruto's face.
Someone knew.
Someone knew what he was investigating.
"Apparently," Minato said quietly.
Naruto's eyes lifted.
"Who?"
"We don't know."
That answer didn't satisfy him.
His gaze remained fixed on his father.
"Then why show me?"
"Because you need to be careful."
Naruto gave a quiet, humourless laugh.
"I've been careful."
Minato's expression remained steady.
"You've also been investigating matters people have spent years trying to keep buried."
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
The silence between them became heavier.
"You know something."
Minato said nothing.
Naruto leaned back, studying him.
Of course he did.
His father had always been good at keeping secrets. He could sit across from someone while knowing exactly what they wanted to hear and still reveal nothing.
It was one of the few things about Minato that genuinely irritated him.
"How bad is it?"
Minato's gaze didn't waver.
"Bad enough that I don't want you handling it alone."
Naruto fell silent.
Then he noticed the second folder beneath the first.
He pulled it free.
A personnel file.
The name on the front made his expression change instantly.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Naruto looked up.
"No."
Minato remained silent.
Naruto's fingers tightened around the folder.
"No."
"Naruto—"
"You can't be serious."
"He is the most qualified candidate."
"There are hundreds of qualified candidates."
"Not like him."
Naruto dropped the file onto the desk.
"Why him?"
Minato's expression remained calm.
"Because I trust him."
Naruto stared at him.
"You trust an Uchiha?"
"I trust Sasuke."
The distinction didn't make the answer any easier to accept.
Naruto looked away.
There were too many years between them.
Too many unanswered questions.
Too much history.
And now his father intended to place Sasuke directly beside him.
"Does he remember?"
Minato didn't answer.
Naruto didn't need him to.
His gaze lowered.
"Right."
The word was quiet.
Whatever memories Sasuke had left, they were incomplete.
Naruto had known that for years.
He simply hadn't expected Sasuke to return to his life like this.
"You really want him protecting me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Minato's expression softened, but only slightly.
"Because I believe it's the right thing to do."
Naruto studied him.
There was something beneath those words.
Something Minato wasn't telling him.
Before Naruto could push further, three quiet knocks came from the door.
Minato looked towards it.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Naruto looked up.
And froze.
A tall man stepped into the office.
Black suit.
Dark hair.
Sharp features.
A controlled expression that revealed almost nothing.
A small tattoo disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt.
Naruto knew him immediately.
Uchiha Sasuke.
The boy Naruto remembered was gone.
This man was taller now, broader through the shoulders, more composed and considerably more intimidating. Time had sharpened the familiar features without completely erasing the boy Naruto remembered.
But the eyes were the same.
Sasuke stopped several feet away.
His gaze moved from Minato to Naruto.
Nothing changed.
No recognition.
No surprise.
Nothing.
Naruto felt something tighten painfully in his chest.
So it was true.
Sasuke really didn't remember him.
Minato stood.
"Sasuke."
Sasuke gave a small nod.
"Mr President."
Minato gestured towards Naruto.
"This is Uzumaki Naruto."
Sasuke's eyes settled on him.
"Home Secretary."
The title struck Naruto harder than it should have.
Not his childhood friend.
Not the boy from the photograph.
Not someone who had once occupied a place in his life.
Just the Home Secretary.
Naruto looked away before Sasuke could notice the brief change in his expression.
Minato continued.
"Starting today, Sasuke will be responsible for your personal security."
Naruto's gaze snapped back towards his father.
For a moment, he said nothing.
His eyes flicked towards Sasuke, who remained standing a few feet away, perfectly composed, as though the conversation had nothing to do with him.
Then Naruto looked back at Minato.
"You've thought this through?"
"I'm not making this decision lightly."
Naruto's jaw tightened.
Of all the people his father could have chosen.
His eyes drifted briefly towards Sasuke again. There was no reaction on the man's face. Not even a hint that the history between them meant anything.
Naruto looked away.
"Of course."
Minato watched him carefully.
"You know what happened between us."
"I do."
The answer was quiet.
Naruto's fingers curled against the edge of the desk.
He wanted to ask how Minato could possibly think this was a good idea. He wanted to ask whether Sasuke knew who he was, whether he remembered anything, whether his father had considered what putting them together might uncover.
But Sasuke was still in the room.
So Naruto swallowed the questions.
Instead, he gave a faint, humourless smile.
"Interesting choice."
"It's the right one." Naruto held his father's gaze for a long moment. Then he glanced at Sasuke once more. Sasuke met his eyes without expression.
Nothing.
No recognition.
No hesitation.
That somehow made the decision harder to accept.
Naruto exhaled slowly and leaned back.
"Fine."
Minato said nothing.
He didn't need to.
The look in Naruto's eyes made it clear that this conversation was far from over. Naruto finally pushed himself to his feet. The difference in their height became immediately obvious. He had to tilt his head back slightly to meet Sasuke's eyes.
He disliked that.
A lot.
His gaze travelled briefly over Sasuke before returning to his face.
"...You're tall."
Sasuke's expression barely changed.
"You're short."
Naruto's eyebrows shot up.
"Excuse me?"
Sasuke said nothing.
Naruto straightened instinctively, as though posture alone could add another few inches.
"I'm not short."
One of Sasuke's eyebrows lifted.
Naruto gestured vaguely at himself.
"I'm actually quite tall."
"Compared to who?"
Naruto stared at him.
"Normal people."
Sasuke's eyes moved over him once.
"You're still shorter than me."
"That's different."
"How?"
"Because you're ridiculously tall."
The faintest shift touched Sasuke's expression.
For the first time, something almost resembling amusement appeared in his eyes. Naruto caught it. And immediately regretted defending himself.
He folded his arms.
"Besides, you're the one with the height problem."
"The height problem?"
"Yes."
Naruto looked him up and down.
"You make everyone else look short."
A quiet snort came from near the desk. Naruto's head turned. Minato had one hand covering his mouth, though the amusement in his eyes made the attempt at hiding it rather pointless. Across the room, Kakashi wasn't even pretending.
His visible eye was curved with unmistakable amusement.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at both of them.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing," Minato said, far too quickly.
Kakashi's shoulders shifted with another suppressed laugh.
Naruto pointed at him.
"You."
Kakashi straightened.
"I didn't say anything."
"You were laughing."
"I was breathing."
Minato finally gave up and smiled.
There was something almost nostalgic in his expression as he watched them. He hadn't seen Naruto this effortlessly irritated in years.
And Sasuke, despite his unreadable expression, seemed remarkably willing to keep provoking him. Neither appeared to notice what everyone else in the room could.
They were falling into an old rhythm. A rhythm neither of them remembered.
Naruto turned back towards Sasuke, still suspicious.
"Did you just smile?"
"No."
"You did."
"I didn't."
Kakashi's eye crinkled again.
Minato looked down at the documents on his desk, though the small smile remained.
Naruto caught both reactions.
"This isn't funny."
"It is a little," Kakashi admitted.
Naruto glared at him.
Sasuke's mouth twitched again.
Naruto immediately looked back at him.
"...You did it again."
Sasuke's expression returned to neutral.
"Did what?"
"That."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Naruto stared.
Then a slow grin spread across his face.
"Still a terrible liar."
The words slipped out naturally.
Sasuke's expression went still.
Naruto's smile faltered.
For half a second, he had forgotten. Forgotten that Sasuke didn't know what he meant. Minato noticed the change immediately.
So did Kakashi.
Neither said anything.
The amusement in the room softened into something quieter.
Naruto cleared his throat and looked away.
"Nothing."
He extended his hand.
"Welcome to my security detail."
Sasuke looked at the offered hand before taking it.
His grip was firm and professional.
Nothing more.
Naruto released him.
Behind them, Minato exchanged a brief glance with Kakashi. Kakashi's eye curved.
Minato's smile was faint.
Neither man said a word.
They didn't need to.
For Naruto, this was the return of someone he had once known.
For Sasuke, it was simply the beginning of a new assignment.
Neither of them knew that the past would eventually find its way back to Sasuke. And when it did, Naruto would be the first face he remembered.