Completely On Purpose

Chapter 1

"Wh— he's leaving?"

Sasuke's mouth was dry as he sat in Kakashi's office, face-to-face with his old sensei. No, no, Kakashi was the Hokage now. It would never feel quite right to think of him with just that much authority.

"Yes. Naruto requested to be put on the active roster recently." Kakashi's mask muffled his words, but Sasuke was used to that after years of training together. Still, he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

" Naruto wants to leave?" Sasuke's fingers were twitching something serious in his lap under his cloak, but he kept his face seamlessly uninterested. His voice was what gave his confusion away. Kakashi nodded once again, closing his eyes for a moment as if to gather his patience with Sasuke. Well, Sasuke couldn't help feeling this incredulous. The only time he was aware of that Naruto had expressed desire to leave the village for prolonged periods of time was when Sasuke himself had left. His face started getting pink just thinking about that, the lengths Naruto has gone to in order to bring him back to Konoha. He shook his head an inch and forced himself to listen to Kakashi.

"... Said he wanted a change of scenery, or something to that extent. He's apparently tired of being here all the time." Sasuke brought one of his arms up to rest on the arm of the chair so that he could lay his head in his hand, ever the image of boredom. Inside, he was freaking out. Recently, what kind of a time frame was recently? Did that mean today? Last week, last month, within this year? Ok, maybe within this year was a stretch. It was just annoying that Kakashi would be so vague about something he knew very well Sasuke cared very much about.

"So, um, what kind of missions is he thinking of taking?" Sasuke just couldn't fathom it. It was still so dangerous ; just because the war was over didn't mean that people weren't still on the lookout for reasons to make trouble and start stuff. Naruto was always going to take the bait, that's just who he was. Sasuke felt worry prickling up his spine and down in his belly.

Kakashi actually had the gall to laugh at his question. "Naruto is still a genin, Sasuke. It won't be anything too life-threatening."

And that's when it hit Sasuke. Naruto's whole life was devoted to becoming Hokage. He couldn't do that if he was a genin. Naruto had been terrible in school, so of course, if there was an alternative, that's what he'd do. Relief washed over Sasuke inwardly. Outwardly, he asked, "So this is a part of his Hokage training?"

"Of course."

"I see. Arigatō, Sensei." Sasuke stood to take his leave and in that same instant Kakashi appeared beside him, still standing just a few inches taller than him after all of these years.

"Sasuke," Kakashi began, placing his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, but Sasuke didn't need a lecture right now. He should have known better than to try to conceal his feelings from someone who knew him so well.

"You can't stop me," he replied, crossing his arms like a child.

"I don't intend to." Kakashi sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. It seemed he was trying to think of something to say, in a way that Sasuke would accept because he had no choice. Finally, he leaned against the back of the chair Sasuke had been sitting in.

"I know that you want to go with him. I know. If..if Gai wanted to go on missions," Kakashi turned his head to the floor then so Sasuke had to strain to hear him, "I'd want to go with him, too. If I didn't have so much responsibility, I would go with him. And he'd go with me. I...know what you're thinking. And so I know that I can't stop you. It's just. Have you ever considered that maybe, if he wanted you to know, he would have told you? If he wanted you to come, he'd ask you to?" Sasuke was looking at the floor then, too, wishing Kakashi would just stop talking. Of course he's considered those things, and many more things. He just had to take the chance that Naruto was trying to convey something to him by not telling him. It was the only thing he had allowed himself to think.