No one could understand why Naruto kept chasing after Sasuke, but then…they never asked.

Assumed

No one could understand why Naruto kept chasing after Sasuke. Why worry and care about someone who wants you dead?

Some of the women in the village entertained the idea of a lover's relationship between the two. Iruka and the Hokage simply supposed the boy refused to lose someone that had shown him some amount of kindness. The rest of the Rookie 9 and Team Guy figured that Naruto had taken Sasuke leaving as a personal challenge and strove to return that challenge. Sakura, remembering the promise she had dragged from Naruto, believed that he was trying to prove his love by keeping his word to bring Sasuke back to her.

The whole town had its own ideas and no one mentioned them, believing that they had figured out the mystery that was Naruto. However, had someone asked him; had some person queried as to why Naruto was trying so had to save a traitor you would only receive a blank stare and a "Why wouldn't I?"

Upon trying to explain how horrible that Sasuke had treated Naruto, between ignoring him to trying to jam a chidori through his chest and how the traitor didn't deserve his loyalty.

All that Naruto would say in response was that the villagers and ever some ninja had treated him much worse and he had forgiven them, even if he went out of the way to avoid those that particularly hated him. Besides, he would tell you, Sasuke didn't hate him. Sure the Teme would find him annoying and, dare he say-tease him; but his teammate didn't hate him. And even when they were fighting, Sasuke was fighting against Naruto. Naruto, the boy-not the demon vessel or the Kyuubi-which was more than could be said for the villagers.

So sure, Sasuke had tried to kill Naruto but honestly, everyone did-so why should he hold it against the one he considered something of a friend when he forgave everyone else? And, in the end of it all, when presented with a chance, Sasuke was unable to finish the fox vessel off, leaving him to continue searching for the one person who was just like everyone else…but at the same time different.

The questioner would be left confused, unable to follow the twisted logic that the boy understood and stood by.

But no one would hear the explanation that would have been the truth because they all assumed.