Warning: This fic contains extreme spoilers for the end of the Sasuke Retrieval arc. If you don't want to know, don't read! Rated PG for a bit of language.

Disclaimer: Obviously I am not Kishimoto-san, and alas, I do not have permission to write this. I would be grateful if you didn't press charges. Thank you.

.oOo.

At the End of Climbing Trees

Sasuke rested against the spindly trunk at the apex of his tree, completely exhausted. He leaned back his head and closed his eyes. The cool night air felt wonderful on his flushed skin. He took a deep breath, held it, and slowly exhaled as he bent forward to study his tree. His gaze traveled down the long trunk that bore testimony to his frustratingly slow progress. That first attempt which had ended when his foot had cracked the tree's surface, and the hundreds of kunai slashes that crept upwards so slowly over a week's worth of training.

He faintly smiled. It had taken a week, but he had reached the top of the tree. And with much less effort than the idiot, who stayed out almost every night struggling to equal the progress Sasuke could make in a day.

"We finally made it, Sasuke!"

His eye twitched. He turned his head the smallest fraction to watch Naruto through his eyelashes. The fool slumped at the top of his own tree, swinging his legs in the air like the stupid little kid he was. And Kakashi-sensei had said Naruto was the one who had progressed the most! Naruto was nothing compared to Sasuke. His lip curled as the other boy's mantra resounded in his mind. "I'll become Hokage so everyone will be forced to recognize me!" What a stupid reason to live! It was better to remain out of notice. When people notice, they expect. When they expect, they apply pressure. And that pressure could hold you back from your true purpose in life. And being held back could make you snap.

Like Itachi-niisan had snapped.

Sasuke angrily yanked his eyes away from Naruto and glared down at his hands. Niisan wouldn't have taken over a week to climb a stupid tree. He would have made it on the first attempt. Sasuke jerked himself upright and snarled at the memory of his brother looming over the still-young Sasuke that night. Itachi's disgusted face and those words were forever burned inside his mind.

"Foolish little brother. If you want to kill me, then blame me. Hate me."

The familiar fury erupted in Sasuke, raw as the same day it had awakened. He gripped the thin trunk with one hand and squeezed, sending what pitiful amount of chakra he had left into his arm and fingers. A hairline fracture crept along the wood within his grip.

"You will become my opponent. You have the potential to surpass me."

Sasuke gripped the trunk in both hands, focused, and bent. The wood groaned in protest, a few more fractures grew, but it did not break. With a curse, Sasuke released it. So much for his potential. He didn't even have enough chakra left to break a damn piece of wood.

"Oi! Sasuke! What's wrong with you?"

Sasuke jerked. He slowly turned to meet Naruto's gaze. The other boy was watching him from his treetop with his usual stupid, puzzled expression.

"Why aren't you happy? We've completed our training!!"

He watched Naruto for a moment, who laughed and threw out his arms. "We're done at last! No more climbing trees day after day, night after night! Isn't it great?!"

"You are capable of awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan within."

Sasuke raised one eyebrow. "Speak for yourself, Naruto. I didn't have to train at night."

"Yeah?!" Naruto's expression turned belligerent. "Well, so what?! I'm just as good as you are!! In fact, I'm better!"

"In your dreams. But wait--you don't have any. You have to train instead of sleep."

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto leaped upright on his branch, the sudden shift in weight making the treetop sway. With a yelp, he clamped his arms and legs around the trunk, eyes wide.

"But there's a price. To do so..."

Sasuke gave a short laugh and taunted, "You're a complete idiot. It's as plain as the stupid expression on your stupid face."

"Oi oi!"

"To be blunt, I'm amazed someone as dumb as you could actually figure this out."

Naruto began to protest loudly, then cut himself off. The stupid expression returned.

Sasuke ducked his head to hide a half-smile. "Want to head back?"

"...you must kill your closest friend."

"Yeah!" Naruto called, his face suddenly shining with his moronic grin.

Sasuke knelt and began the careful descent down the tree. From the corner of his eye, he watched a still-smiling Naruto do the same.

Kill his closest friend? Hilarious. He didn't have any friends.

Sasuke's face twitched. Judging by the sound of cloth brushing against branches and leaves that was coming from the other tree, Naruto had increased his pace. Sasuke heard him chuckle something about being first to reach the ground.

But maybe he did have one. Maybe...Naruto?

With a derisive snort, Sasuke sped up as well. No way. And no way would he let the idiot win.

Naruto as his friend. His closest friend.

Yeah. Whatever.

.oOo.

Concluding author's Note: I wrote this to explore Sasuke's thoughts about the future role Naruto might play in his revenge against Itachi. We can only imagine how often Sasuke considered this before the actual Sasuke/Naruto battle. In fact, I don't think the possibility would have ever left his mind. In any case, writing this fic has helped me understand Sasuke a bit better. I almost like him now. Ttaku mo.

(completed 2-22-07, last tweaked 2-28-07)