TheKaiSenpai doesn't own anything
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Sasuke's True Goal
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Chapter One: Strangers
Sasuke was pouting. While the sight in itself was adorable, Mikoto used her remaining willpower to resist his weapon of mass cuteness. "No, Sasuke, you cannot lick the ladle when I'm done with it," she chided her younger son. "These cookies are going to be for your big brother when he comes back from his mission. You wouldn't want to steal cookies from Itachi, would you?" Sasuke hesitated, and in the corner of her eye she could tell he was weighing his options.
"I guess not," the young boy mumbled, just barely loud enough for his mother to hear. He didn't seem to realize that licking the ladle would have no effect on whether or not the cookies were made; nor how many of them there would be. "Can I help?"
"No, dear," Mikoto smiled at her child's offer. The young mother turned to face the boy. "Actually, why don't you go out and train a little bit? I know that your cousin Sum-" Mikoto trailed off as her gaze stared out the window. Her eyes lingered on a young blonde boy that walked down the street, kicking a can as he did. His clothes were ragged and dirty, but there was still a lonely smile on his face as he passed her vision.
"Who's that, mom?" Sasuke asked his mother, confused at why he could be so important to her. He'd seen the kid every so often at school, but never really talked to him. "Where's his parents? Shouldn't his mom or dad be with him?"
"Oh, you're so sweet," Mikoto's voice was gentle, but she held a sad smile on her face. "His name... His name is Naruto," the young woman decided to tell her younger son. "He's- was the son of my best friend. His mom and dad died a few years ago. He doesn't have parents, Sasuke." The young Uchiha stared after the blonde boy, feeling something welling up inside of him. He wasn't sure what it was, but it didn't feel good. He felt sad, but he wasn't sure why.
"Is there anything we can do to help him?" Asked Sasuke to his mother. The woman paused, but shook her head.
"Unfortunately there's a lot of grown-up things that makes it so people like me or Itachi can't talk to him," she explained. "But, maybe you could be his friend, Sasuke." Sasuke seemed surprised at the idea as he looked towards his mother, but slowly looked back at the distant form of Naruto.
"Maybe," he mumbled to himself, not really sure how to pull it off.
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Sasuke walked slowly, avoiding eye contact with the people around him. He didn't want to be spoken to. He didn't want to be looked at. He didn't want to be acknowledged. He didn't want to be alive. But he was. And everyone else in his family was dead. Everyone except... "Itachi," he hissed the name under his own breath. He didn't know what to make of his beloved big brother. He wanted to kill him, but he didn't know how.
Yet part of him still didn't believe what his brother had done. His brother was distant sometimes, but he was never cruel to anyone in their family. He didn't hate any of them; at least from what Sasuke saw. In fact, Sasuke was certain that his big brother loved everyone in his family. So why did he kill them all? Why did he let Sasuke live? The young boy's head hurt, unable to comprehend all of the questions banging against his mind.
Sasuke noticed his surroundings had changed. He was walking along one of the rivers that separated the main village from one of the training grounds. On the dock below him sat a familiar blonde who was tossing rocks into the water. The kid, Naruto turned to look at Sasuke. For a moment, their eyes met. He has the same look that I did, Sasuke noticed, seeing the emptiness in Naruto's eyes. He quickly turned his head, embarrassed with having been caught. He kept walking.
He couldn't shake the thought of what he'd just seen, however. The boy was supposed to be nothing to him. Yet, he remembered what his mother had told him several days before. She'd wanted him to be friends with the blonde. Could he do that? Sasuke felt a tear drip down his cheek. If it was what his mother wanted; even if it wasn't really her last wish, then he would fulfill it. He would somehow become Naruto's friend, just like his mom had suggested. The only question was as to how.
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Sasuke saw Naruto in class nearly every day, and the boy was trouble incarnate. No matter what day it was, the blonde was always acting up. It was kind of entertaining to see how he'd mess with other people that day. Sasuke, however, remained content on watching and planning how to befriend the blonde. He saw the fake smile he put on for everyone else. Sasuke had to admit, it took strength to try and push down all of your own problems for the sake of others.
He'd tried it for all of an hour at his own house, but he couldn't come up with a genuine looking smile. He'd promptly given up. As to his plans, it was slowly coming to fruition. If only he were energetic like Naruto was; then it would be much easier. Yet it wasn't. He wasn't. He couldn't even pretend to be as excitable as the blonde. So he decided he'd become his opposite; his mirror in a sense.
Sasuke's mother had often read him stories about heroes and anti-heroes, and he found the rivalries between the characters fascinating and exciting. It was then that he decided that even if he couldn't be Naruto's friend, he would be his rival. He would help Naruto become stronger by challenging him at every corner. He'd never let up, and force Naruto to become strong. To do so, he'd have to be hated by the blonde. Something stirred inside him, but he didn't know what it was. It felt familiar, but different all the same. For some reason, the thought of his brother briefly occupied his thoughts.
It came time to step outside for Taijutsu lessons. He would often be paired up with Naruto due to the sheer energy they both had when it came to fighting. Sasuke had often taken it easy on the blonde before, wanting to not hurt him too much. This time, however, his plan was different. "Naruto and Sasuke," the teacher, Mikasa, called them to the ring to spar. Their focus was on one another.
"I'm gonna kick your ass today, you jerk," Naruto spoke with a feral smile as he adjusted the goggles resting on his forehead. "Just you wait, I'll beat you and prove that I can be Hokage, ya know!" Instead of giving his classmate his usual smile and wishing him luck, Sasuke's tone changed.
"Like a dead last loser like you could ever hope to beat me," he smirked, feeling in himself the kind of person he was trying to be. "I bet it's more likely I'll be Hokage then you'll ever be." Naruto's smile wavered, uncertain of what to do. This was different than Sasuke had acted before. His confusion soon turned to anger.
"You bastard! I'll teach you to underestimate me!" Inwardly, Sasuke was happy. Even though he was mean to Naruto, he was now riled up. His test had paid off! Sasuke smirked at the knowledge, which Naruto must have misunderstood as him being taunted, which only angered him further.
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Sasuke glanced over at Naruto as the blonde shared with their new teacher about his likes, dislikes, and other information. Naruto was incredibly simple, yet he held some sort of potential if he were able to make himself a Genin. Sasuke had panicked at first when he'd seen Naruto had failed the exam to become a ninja. He'd almost gone over to console the blonde; that was until he'd seen their teacher go over to his classmate. It seemed that whatever was said had Naruto excited again, so he decided to put his trust in the blonde.
Sasuke had been pleasantly surprised to see the dead last of his generation had passed. While Naruto was still by far weaker than he should be, he was able to at least somewhat keep up with the civilian fighters that had come to the school to be ninja. Sasuke admired how much hard work and dedication the Uzumaki put into training.
The young Uchiha watched in silence, keeping up his mask of indifference. Behind the hands rested in front of his face, he smiled. While Sakura was definitely annoying, he could at least put up with her. It was when their new teacher broke the news to them that there was one final test that he found himself concerned.
Sasuke walked alone back to his home, planning. He didn't know how well either of his new teammates would be in this exercise. Obviously he couldn't plan too far ahead since he had no idea what the exercise was, but he knew well enough to actually plan for breakfast. Shinobi needed the energy to do things, since they expended a lot of calories in battle and everyday life. Still, he wanted to at least seem to be in the same boat as Naruto. Perhaps a small breakfast would be best. Enough to stay filled and ready for action, but not enough to prevent some hunger. Perhaps if it came to it, he would treat his teammates to some lunch later in the day, tomorrow.
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The young Uchiha watched with interest as Naruto made good use of his clones. It was an advanced technique apparently, and Sasuke would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous. the ability to be anywhere and everywhere at once sounded cool. Still, he acted unimpressed for the sake of riling Naruto up.
Naruto's combat was improving, and he was growing stronger day by day. Sasuke would admit that he could see the blonde advancing at an alarming rate. Wath proper tutelage and dedication, the Uzumaki was a force to be reckoned with. Part of what Sasuke felt was jealousy. He was being knocked from the strongest in his generation. While it was his plan, part of him felt bitter about it.
The Uchiha shook those thoughts from his head. He wanted to see Naruto grow, but he refused to be left behind. He wanted to eventually fight Naruto; but not yet. Not until they both were much stronger. He wanted the battle between him and his teammate to be epic. He wanted it to be something that was told for generations. Perhaps it was his pride as an Uchiha, but he wanted to prove to the world that the two most broken people in the Hidden Leaf Village could rise above their pain and loneliness and become strong. A plan began to form in Sasuke's mind. Perhaps it was a vile plan, but it would allow Naruto to have a drive even stronger than rivalry.
At one point Sasuke would have regarded Naruto as a stranger, but after several weeks of working together; he could feel a kinship with the blonde. Maybe Naruto didn't realize it at the time, but Sasuke saw the blonde as a friend. He would do anything to make his friend happy, even if it meant being hated. Something stirred inside of Sasuke. It was a familiar feeling. But he ignored it. It wasn't important, he felt.