Naru: Misty Eyes (A Naruto Fanfic) [Complete]

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Good to be Home/ In The End

Naru spent the next several days readjusting to life in Suna. She showed Itachi around the village, although she knew he had scouted the whole place the night they got there. He'd probably seen it before that as well, but she appreciated that he let her show him around anyways. She quickly gave up on prying any information out of him about Konoha, Sasuke, or his 'deep cover mission' and chose to move on.

They soon celebrated Eito's second birthday. Naru was just glad she was there for it, since she'd missed his previous one. She made sure to sing extra loud to make up for it, even if Eito wouldn't remember either birthday. Gaara told her that even Itachi cracked a smile at the party.

Now that she was back, Naru resumed her home-school ninja training. She sparred with Tsuki more frequently, as well as Gaara and his siblings, and delved deeper into her study of seals with Karasu. He'd gotten more scrolls on seals while she was gone, preparing for when she got back. It made Naru smile.

The first day of November came quickly, not that Naru would've marked it as a special occasion previously. It was important this year, though, and would be in all the years to come. It was the day Karasu and Tsuki got married. As promised, they waited for Naru to get back and even made her one of the bridesmaids. Gaara was her counterpart as one of Karasu's groomsmen. Kankuro teased both of them incessantly at the reception, more so when Naru caught Tsuki's bouquet.

It wasn't long until things settled down once more. Naru kept in touch with her Konoha friends as best she could, sending letters with her Suna friends when they went on missions near Konoha. Sakura, who was traveling quite a bit as she studied under the healer Sannin Tsunade, stopped by the Village Hidden in the Sand a few times to train with Temari or share new medical ninjutsus and always made time to visit with Naru. The other Rookies and even Team Gai found excuses to take missions in the area so they could stop in and say hi. Sasuke never came.

On one visit, Naru asked Sakura about it. She just hugged the shorter girl and said that Sasuke would come eventually. He just wasn't ready to see Itachi yet. Naru wasn't sure if that was the only person he wasn't ready to see. She was sidetracked from the thought, though, when Sakura suddenly told her that the Third Hokage had retired a second time. She was even more sidetracked when Sakura revealed his replacement. She laughed. It seemed Kakashi wouldn't be sleeping in any time soon.

And, just like that, a year had passed. She and Gaara turned fourteen. Eito turned three. Itachi, much to his chagrin, was increasingly popular with the Academy students (for various reasons). Karasu and Tsuki retired, although still far from civilians. All in all, it was just good to be home.

~*~

Nine years later, Naru was still living in Suna. Now twenty-three, she was a proficient Seal Master and still kept up with her nin friends (including Sasuke, who was now on good terms with both her and his brother). Eito, twelve and graduating from the Academy as an official genin that year, often sparred with her when he couldn't rope Itachi into extra training. As it was, Itachi had settled into the village extremely well and planned to retire in a few years. Already, he spent his free time helping Naru's parents around the house or working at the hospital. He'd picked up quite a bit of medical ninjutsu over the years.

Temari had moved to Konoha not long after she started dating Shikamaru (who she was now married to). Naru teased the older girl until she was reminded of her own... romantic involvement. The subject was dropped quickly after that. Naru got teased enough by Kankuro, who liked to remind everyone that he had called it since they were twelve, which she had to admit that he had. Now she and Gaara were married and had two kids, a boy and a girl. The older was a boy of four, his hair red like Gaara's and eyes a pale blue. Karma. The younger, a two-year-old girl, had dark blonde hair, although it bordered on a reddish-strawberry, and dark green eyes. Hikari.

Eito babysat them on occasion, as did Itachi. Sometimes, Karasu and Tsuki would bring Shiro and Hibiki, their twin seven-year-old boys, over to Naru's. Karma enjoyed playing with them, even if most of their games left him at a disadvantage. Overall, it was a good life. Her family was there, her friends visited when they could, and her children could grow up knowing they were loved.

Suna and Konoha were closer allies than ever. Kakashi was still the Hokage, although whenever Naru saw him he complained about the hours and the paperwork and retirement. She knew he wouldn't quit until he found the perfect successor though. Neji, from what Kakashi mentioned, sounded especially promising. Gaara was the current Kazekage, taking over after his father's retirement two years prior. It still surprised Naru how much Rasa doted on his grandchildren, not that her parents were any better.

In the end, Naru's life could be summed up in a single word. Perfect. And she wouldn't trade it for anything.

A/N: This is the end, guys. Originally, I thought I could make it two more chapters and finish up on an even thirty (not counting the disclaimer), but... that didn't work out so well. Hopefully you all enjoyed the story!