1. If you could only see

Five years ago, Uchiha Sasuke had defected to Sound. Five years ago, Uzumaki Naruto had lost his best friend. And it was also five years ago when his unhealthy obsession of the Uchiha had begun. It had started with the vigorous training – 24-hours a day, seven days a week – to get caught up to the other's skill level. Then the retrieval missions. It was only when Naruto had came back after his fifteenth failed attempt – half-dead with three broken ribs, a punctured lung, and virtually every muscle in his body fried – that his friends decided to put a stop to his self-destructive ways. The Godaime Hokage had since then banned him from taking those missions. Surprisingly, Naruto had complied with her orders.

However, the obsession did not end there. After recovering from his near-death experience, the blond had resolved to find out anything and everything about the Uchihas. In his two weeks of medical leave, he had successfully extracted every last bit of information from the central library and the citizens of Konoha. But that wasn't enough for him. To fully understand the history and secrets of the Uchiha, Naruto had made multiple visits to the Uchiha Compound to consult their vast libraries. Contrary to popular belief, the Compound was not forbidden to anyone; the simple fact was that the empty streets and ominous presence of Uchiha fans adorning the walls just intimidated everyone.

The first time he had stepped foot into the Uchiha sector of Konoha, he had been horrified at the state of disrepair the place was in. It was then that he decided to take it upon himself to bring the Compound to its former glorious state. Naruto visited the area every day without fail, rain or shine, with a bunch of his kage bunshins in tow, materials under their arms. He saved any building he could, but those structures that were on the verge of collapsing, he had no choice but to knock down. In its place, he built new houses, trying to preserve the traditional look of the rest of the sector. He repaired houses, fixed broken roofs, painted walls, planted gardens, anything to make the place livelier. The only thing he had not touched was the Uchiha Main House. That building he refused to change. The civilians had noticed what he had done, and though they were furious that the jinchuuriki was making a lot of changes in the Uchiha sector, they had no real way of stopping him as it fell under the category of shinobi affairs, and the Shinobi Council had no objection to the renovations.

Naruto was not ignorant; he knew what his friends said about him behind his back. 'He's just in denial', or 'one day, he'll realize that Uchiha will never come back'. Though there were a lot of things in this universe that Uzumaki Naruto did not understand, there were three things that he was absolutely certain of:

One, he will become Hokage.

Two, he will protect all of his precious people.

Three, he will bring Uchiha Sasuke back to Konoha.

So when he heard that the youngest Uchiha had killed his master Orochimaru, and had essentially freed himself from the trap of the curse seal, he knew that it was only a matter of time before Sasuke returned to his – their home. But he refused to hope, because to hope would mean leaving his heart open and vulnerable to hurt. Every day, he resists the urge to run to the Hokage's office to demand new information on the last Uchiha. Every day, he resists the urge to stand by the gates of Konoha to wait for his return. Every day, he resists the urge to hope.

When the news of the defeat of Uchiha Itachi under the hands of Sasuke reached the ears of Konoha, nothing seemed to change. No one appeared happy, angry, or sad that the population of the Uchiha clan had decreased once more. The Council had been shocked, but no actions had been taken. It was like Konoha had decided to cut their losses and let go of the Uchihas. It was like no one cared. But for one man, it was like his prayers were finally answered. With his lifelong goal achieved, Sasuke would have to come back. Naruto had been under close scrutiny by his friends to gauge his reactions when the news arrived, but he had held a tight grip over his emotions, betraying none of his thoughts. He tried to act normal, because the information shouldn't have sent his body into a quivering mess and tears of happiness to come to his eyes. It was only after he had reached the safety and privacy of his home that his control snapped, causing him to scream with joy into his pillow in an effort to muffle his cries.

He knew he shouldn't have expected so much when three months had passed without a word about the last Uchiha. It was on the ninety-third day after the last news of him that Naruto finally gave in. The Godaime Hokage, caring too much for the blond to deny him much, acquiesced to his request of the retrieval of Uchiha Sasuke for the sixteenth and final time.

A/N: I've disappeared for a while, but now I'm back. Updates will be sporadic, just a heads up.