I kept watch over Wave, now a bit more relaxed.
The Great Messenger had been requested for a meeting by Haruka, and when I looked into it, they wanted to talk about Obito and the Zetsu they found.
The best option was probably to just tell them about the whole idea, and the Ōtsutsuki clan, the more I thought about it the more I realized that it was pointless keeping it hidden from them, they were all loyal and knew how to keep their mouths shut.
So, there would be a long conversation in a few hours, one which would no doubt leave everyone with existential dread as they realize they could do nothing to stop the higher tier threats coming their way.
And once Sasuke composed himself a bit more, I would let Naruto and Sakura meet with him, that conversation was one I was very interested in.
It would be the main deciding factor in Sasuke's future.
After that, it would be time for the 'advisor' for Kirigakure to depart, the cease fire offer was on its way and The Order would receive a reply in a week.
I wasn't too worried about that situation not turning out how I expected it either, my threat had been taken seriously, and Mei wouldn't dare to test me so soon after she saw an example of my power.
But besides that, I could relax for a bit, enjoy the peace while it lasted.
***
A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER
Naruto was almost bouncing as they approached the restaurant, finally, he would be able to see the bastard!
Sakura, by contrast, was looking nervous, she was clearly unsure of herself and how Sasuke would react to seeing them.
Kakashi was casually walking behind them, clearly unconcerned about anything they might find in the restaurant.
And then they were there, standing right outside the door, he looked back at Kakashi, who simply nodded towards the door, confirming that this was indeed the place.
So, they finally reached the restaurant, and walked inside.
And there he was.
Sasuke Uchiha, his old teammate, taller and more muscled than he used to be, wearing an... apron?
He was sitting at one of the tables, clearly waiting for them.
"Yo! Bastard!" Naruto yelled as they entered. "About time!"
Sasuke did something Naruto was not expecting.
He smiled slightly.
"Sakura, Idiot, Kakashi-Sensei" He greeted back.
That made Sakura freeze up in surprise for a moment before she started walking forward again.
"S-Sasuke-kun..." She muttered awkwardly. "Um, how are you?"
That seemed to cause Sasuke to hesitate, because he paused before replying.
"I'm doing good, I guess." His tone was thoughtful. "And you?"
"Alright, I guess." Sakura responded hesitantly.
Silence reigned over the room for a few moments, before Naruto broke it.
"Oi, bastard. Let's go back to Konoha."
He didn't expect to find Sasuke this easily, so this idea just popped into his head.
"Naruto!" Sakura hissed under her breath, scolding him for jumping straight to the point.
But Sasuke himself seemed completely unaffected by that, and simply shook his head.
"No." He replied simply. "I have no interest in going back to Konoha, Wave is my home now."
Naruto frowned at that, clearly angry, crossing his arms over his chest.
'Oi, brat, just because I let you have my Chakra doesn't mean you can just take it for the most inane things.' Kyuubi spoke up for the first time in a while. 'You're not fighting or training, so keep your hands off my Chakra.'
Naruto startled a bit at that, in his momentary anger, he instinctively pulled on some of the Kyuubi's power.
But he wasn't in the mood to talk to the stupid fox right now, so he ignored him.
"What do you mean Wave is your home?" Naruto asked heatedly. "Konoha is your home!"
Sasuke just looked at him, before his eyes flicked to Kakashi for a brief moment.
But before they could continue their conversation, someone else made an appearance.
A white haired boy stepped out from one of the back kitchens, carrying four trays filled with food, and if Naruto's nose was anything to go by, they were delicious.
"Here you go, one serving of curry, another with yakitori, tomato soup and last but not least, miso ramen." The boy placed the on the table Sasuke was sitting at.
'Huh?' The Kyuubi muttered, he sounded confused.
But Naruto ignored it, his anger had taken a critical hit once he saw the bowl of ramen being set on the table.
'Hey, brat.' The Kyuubi said seriously. 'Ask that boy where he's from.'
Naruto blinked in confusion, but shrugged, maybe the fox was going somewhere with this.
"Oi, whitey, thanks for the Ramen!" He said cheerfully before sitting right across from Sasuke. "Where are you from?"
The white haired boy stopped, turning to stare at Naruto with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm Saiken, I guess I am from the Land of Water?" He replied uncertainly.
'Huh!?' The Kyuubi practically yelled in his head. 'Brat, ask him how many rings did Father's eyes have!'
'What? No. I can't just say something like that!' Naruto argued back.
'Just say it!' The Kyuubi demanded.
'Stop being so bossy!' Naruto mentally yelled back.
The Kyuubi fell silent for a moment, and then spoke again.
'I... Please.' The Kyuubi's voice was strained.
Naturally, this made Naruto pause, this was the first time he had heard the stupid fox ask for anything nicely.
So, he decided to do what the Kyuubi asked.
"Oi, Saiken." He called out, the white haired boy looked at him with confusion clear on his face. "How many rings did Father's eyes have?"
There was dead silence for a few moments, everyone except Saiken was looking at Naruto in confusion.
"Five." Saiken said after a brief moment of surprise.
'That is such utter bullshit!' The Kyuubi practically screeched. 'Why the fuck does he get to run around freely while I'm stuck here! It's not fair!'
Naruto waited for a bit, hoping the fox would calm down, but he seemed lost in his ranting.
'I'm going to rip off three of his tails, and beat him over the head with them!'
Naruto forcibly cut his connection with the fox, he sounded like he wasn't about to stop anytime soon.
He looked up at Saiken, who was clearly trying to figure out how Naruto knew that.
But realization dawned on his face.
"Ah, I want to talk to you later." Saiken's tone brokered no argument. "But Sasuke wanted privacy, so I'll leave you guys alone."
Naruto watched in bewilderment as Saiken simply walked back into the kitchen.
He looked back at the rest of his team, they were all still confused by whatever the hell just happened.
Naruto was confused too, so he just started digging into his ramen.
It was pretty good.
But now they were right back where they started, no one talking and everyone waiting for someone else to start the conversation.
"Do you really not want to come back?" Sakura asked hesitantly, her tone was pleading.
"Konoha ordered the death of my clan, the only reason I am willing to let it go is because I was told that the ones responsible will be purged." Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "So no, I do not have any desire to return, I would rather join another village than ever go back there."
There was silence for a few seconds.
Kakashi let out a small sound, like he just realized something.
"He was involved in that too?" He asked quietly.
"Yes." Sasuke replied bluntly, causing Kakashi to sigh tiredly.
Kakashi sat down and pulled the plate with curry closer to him.
"Come on, Sakura, I don't think we will change his mind anytime soon." He said with resignation. "Lets eat while the food is still warm."
Naruto frowned again, he was doing that alot today, why did Kakashi sensei give up so easily?
"Hey! What gives?" Naruto protested loudly. "We can't just-"
"Naruto, stop." Sasuke interrupted him, his voice calm. "There is no way you could convince me to come back."
Naruto's mouth opened as he prepared to argue further, but Sasuke's expression made him pause.
Sasuke looked... at peace? Tired?
It was subtle, but his face was not the same as it used to be, instead of the cold mask that he used to wear, now he simply looked tired.
He closed his mouth again and looked down at the table, before glancing back up at Sasuke, who gave him a nod, seemingly understanding Naruto's acceptance of his decision.
This was so weird, in older Naruto's time, Sasuke didn't stop wanting to kill Itachi even for a moment, hell, he even tried fighting Naruto when they met in Orochimaru's hideout.
The table lapsed into silence again, only broken by the sounds of Kakashi eating.
"So... what have you been doing, Sakura?" Sasuke asked suddenly, surprisingly taking the initiative to talk.
"I'm learning under Tsunade-sama." She replied immediately. "She's teaching me how to be a Medic-Nin, and I have been learning how to make new Jutsu too."
The conversation progressed from there, Naruto tried being angry with the whole situation, but he almost couldn't manage it.
And for a few hours, things were almost like they used to be, Team 7 was reunited, even if for just a little bit.