Redemption and Repayment

It's been years since I walked the streets if Konoha, cathing a whip of the stench of vengeance that hung in air. Although it took a long time for that to fade away, it eventually did, along with everyone else's scars. The wind blows against my aging face, and I conclude that Konoha has never smelled this sweet; has never felt this close to home. I pass many familiar faces - some faces of my childhood, some faces I've only met as of late, and they give me acknowledgement. Those who have been around long enough to know of my treachery greet me with as much warmth as they would have towards others. I could see in their eyes that all the grime that taints my name has washed away in their consciousness. I am fully welcome in Konoha.

As I take more steps, the sight of a mountain grows greater and greater before me. Carved on that mountain are the faces of the greatest treasures this village has ever had. The Hokages. There are six of them; four of them have already passed. Five faces looked very stern and serious on that mountain. But the very last face, the face I know so well, had a bit of a smile between the whisker-like birthmarks. It is to him I owe everything I have.

I slowly ascend the stairs up to the Sixth Hokage's office, passing some of his subordinates along the way. I almost reach the top when I see the shocked face of the young kunoichi who was unfortunate enough to be the receiving end of my anger when she failed a few duties for the Hokage a while back. She seemed like she dreaded having to face me. "Good day," I give her a greeting, an acknowledging nod, even a small smile. This makes her beam. "Good day to you to, Sasuke-sama!" She descends the staircase with nothing less than a big smile. Forgiveness, I thought. I learned it from him.

I enter the office, my eyes widening at the sight before me. My senpai and sensei, one of Konoha's elders, Kakashi Hatake, staring at me with a wary eye. He was reading a scroll near the Hokage's desk. Odd. He showed up early. On the desk it self was a messy mop of blonde hair and a face buried sleeping in paper work. I could hear the snores reverberating in the room. That usuratonkachi.

"This is new, Kakashi," I walk towards the desk, picking up some of the scattered files. I sigh, knowing that I had to organize all of it. "You're early."

"Naruto and I was supposed to pull an all-nighter," the Elder returns the scroll on the shelf, "I made it here only by dawn. Not exactly early.."

"Hn," is all I answer.

"What about you? You're late, too," Kakashi notices as he checks the time. I shrug.

"I simply got lost in the road of life," I answer with a hint of mischief, causing my aged sensei to burst into laughter. I heard a groan from the fur ball sleeping on the desk, obviously bothered by the laughter disturbing his slumber.

"You got me, Sasuke. Now it's time to work. Looks like Naruto did all of the jobs fine, but without us I guess you can't expect him to organized," Kakashi smiles, "we still have to alphabetize and categorize by date. If we do it together, we could finish by lunch and make it to the deadline the Sand Village had set up."

I nod. I lifted up the usuratonkachi's head to get all the files underneath without waking him up. Kakashi and I started to work. I got bored once in a while and started to examine the office. As the clutter of files started to get sorted, I started to see some of Naruto's things underneath. The ones that keep catching my eyes are the pictures of our childhood. I picked up the first picture of Team 7 and smile. Then I see the picture of Team 7 reborn, with Sakura, Sai, Naruto and Kakashi. It makes me frown. I felt like punching myself for being such an usuratonkachi myself. I move on to the picture of what Naruto calls Team 7 Reborn Again, with the original Team all chunin, and Sai and Kakashi. Then I see the picture of the Uzumaki family: Hinata, Naruto's wife, and his six children. All of them smiling, as happy as they could ever be. This reminds me of my own family, which without Naruto, I would have never had.

I remember the day which changed the rest of my life. And yes, Naruto was a big part of that day..

"Can you believe it Sasuke! We did it!" Naruto beamed at the sight before him. His home, Konoha, was now repairing itself after a nightmare that had struck. He chuckled his usual idiotic chuckle. Together, we walked – or more like limped, the aftermath of the final showdown we had. I am not telling you who won. He was greeted affectionately by those who came his way. Of course, he was the village hero. It was certain to everyone's hearts that after the term of Lady Tsunade, he'll take her place as Hokage. The Rokudaime Hokage. And probably the best Hokage this village will ever have. But I did not get the same reception. They did not smile at me. I did not respond.

"And we did it together!" he turned to me with yet another idiotic grin on his face. I was shocked, the fact made obvious by my enlarging eyes. He frowns at my response.

"Uhmm, well yeah.. whatever," I mutter.

"And you can finally stay here with us," the idiot said, with such enthusiasm and warmth that it almost made me want to either weep or punch him. I sighed.

"Listen, dobe," I said with a hushed voice. "We need to talk privately."

I led him somewhere without the prying, intense eyes of the judgemental villagers. They somehow found the hero and traitor walking –err, limping, together an odd sight. It took us quite some time before we reached a quiet place beside a rushing river.

"Naruto, I know you want me to stay," I started saying as I gripped the hilt of my katana. "But I can't. I'm sorry." With those words, my heart felt like it was filled with stone.

"W-why not?" Naruto stuttered, looking heart broken.

"Because I don't belong here anymore. It was certain the moment I left here three years ago. No one wants a traitor in their midst. After everything I've done, I can't go back here as if I did nothing wrong. It can't be like the old ways."

I saw Naruto clenching his fists, obviously upset. "But I am welcoming you back! With open arms! Can't you see that Sasuke?"

"That's not enough!" I raised my voice. "Not everyone is as willing as you."

"There's Sakura. And Kakashi-sensei. And even Lady Tsunade!"

"Lady Tsunade was only forced to welcome me. She only absolved me from my execution because it's your wish – and she felt obligated to follow it since you saved Konoha. And what's three people versus thousands of others?"

Naruto was speechless. I urged on.

"Every time I see this village, I am only reminded of the monster I've become. The monster I still am. And the person you want me to be – the person I can never be. It reminds me of all the lies and pains. And there's nothing left for me here. I have no mission anymore, no ninja way either. This will never be home, never again!

Naruto gritted his teeth, his knuckles becoming pale. "Then what do you plan on doing?"

"I'll leave. I'll wonder. Different places.. and maybe I'll find where I'm supposed to be."

Naruto stayed quiet for a while. His body was shaking, and some of his veins were protruding from anger. And then I felt a punch to my stomach, where I had a severe injury. I groaned in pain.

"You stupid bastard!" Naruto pulled his hand away, and started breathing heavily. I doubled over from the pain. "Where you're supposed to be is right here with me!"

"This time Sasuke, you listen to me, 'cause I can be right sometimes. You saved Konoha, too. I would've died if it wasn't for you! You're a hero too. I know you don't think that it doesn't pay off the sins of your past, but it does! Remember what Kakashi-sensei told us? One good deed can erase a thousand bad deeds. And what you did – it was more than just any good deed!"

I tried to get up, using my sword to help me up.

"If you stay here, you can do so much more good deeds! You can have the chance to help me and everyone else make Konoha a better place! It'll be home before you know it! Besides – what'll you do when you leave, huh? Stop fixing mistakes by making more!"

I opened my mouth slightly to respond, but no words came out. The dobe, though how annoying it may be, was right. All the weight of my emotions made me look down.

"I just can't Naruto. I'm leaving tomorrow."

Silence.

I felt his hand reaching my sword, and he unsheathed it. "This sword, this was your father's, right? You used it to help me save Konoha. You're pretty wicked with it, you know," Naruto spoke, and even though we wouldn't face each other, I could sense that he had tears from his crestfallen tone. "Use it, Sasuke while you're on your exile. Use it to save people, to compensate for all your sins. And once you think you've saved enough lives – please come back here."

As stupid as it was, I felt tears in my own eyes too.

"I-I'll try," I stuttered.

Then what I least expected occurred. Naruto attacked me with a big, warm, hug and started sobbing on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him, too. And after all these years, I never felt this genuinely happy.

"Promise me you'll try to come back. Everything will be worthless without you. You're my brother!"

Yet another shocking outburst from Naruto. "M-my, brother," I whispered and smiled. "Thank you, my brother."

We cried like the big men we are, and pretty soon some of the villagers came to see. They probably thought that I was going to kill Naruto while we were alone or something. I felt slightly self-conscious. Naruto pulled away.

I could see Sakura, Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, Tsunade, Neji, Lee, Ino, Choji, Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Shikamaru, Sai, Tenten – everyone, the entire village, getting all misty-eyed. I wiped my tears and patted Naruto's shoulder. "Listen, since it's my last night here, why don't I take you out for some Ramen?"

Naruto sniffed and wiped his tears with his fist. That big baby. "Yeah, I'd like that."

And together, we ate some Ramen. I watched Naruto as he gobbled down bowl by bowl. He was gonna use up all my money, but I didn't care. He could use up the entire fortune of the clan for all it's worth. After that we parted. He ran smiling and waving, his stomach bloated. I didn't get any sleep that night, staring at the river Naruto and I had our talk.

Dawn came much too fast. The rising sun burned my insomniac eyes. I grabbed my father's sword and hung it on the belt around my waist. I took a sip of water, and started to walk towards the entrance of the village. I was about to begin my self-exile, with nothing but my sword, sharingan, and bitterness.

I was almost out of the front gate, when I heard a female voice call out my name. "Sasuke-kun! Wait up!" When I turned around, I saw Sakura running towards me. She slapped me – but I can't say I didn't expect that. But she hugged me and started crying. I hugged her back – I owed her that and so much more, and rubbed her back to ease her sobbing. "I'm sorry, Sakura," I managed to say.

"Naruto told me everything," she smiled weakly while her tears still fell in a steady stream down her cheeks. "And I wish you all the best. But if we need you, you're obliged to come back here and help us again."

"Will do," I responded, and I admit, there was a small smile in my face. Sakura let go of me.

"Well, Sasuke. You did well," it was Kakashi who spoke. "I never thought you could do it, but you exceeded expectations and did far greater than your clan. You even exceeded Itachi. It was a loss for Konoha losing a shinobi like you, and it still is. I hope Sasuke, you find your path, and may the path be one of light and good. Make me proud okay?"

"I will, Kakashi.. I mean.. Kakashi-sensei."

Then, what I really didn't expect was Kakashi sensei running towards me and hugging me, his grip so tight I was lifted from the ground. He ruffled my hair, and I could see traces of tears from his eye. "I'm gonna miss you, son."

He put me down. I started walking towards the gate again. After several steps, I looked back. Everyone was there. My old friends. The rookie nine and their Jounin senseis. They were all smiling and waving at me. Gai was giving me a thumbs-up. Sakura and Kakashi were crying. But there was one who was missing. The one who mattered most.

"Heey! WAIT A SECOND, TEME!"

I could hear rapid footsteps of someone in a sprint. Suddenly, Naruto was right in front of me, breathing heavily. "Sasuke, I have to give you something." He pulled something from his pocket. It was a picture of the original Team 7. Kakashi was in the middle, ruffling mine and Naruto's hair. We were just twelve back then. And so much has happened since. "Don't ever forget me. After all, I am your brother. Your best friend.."

"Forever.." I added. With that, we gave each other a fist pound. I expected him to be crying like my other teammates, but he was smiling like this was the best thing that ever happened to him.

"Goodbye, Naruto," I said, with a sense of finality. I turned around, my back against everyone. I started walking forward, with no plans of turning back. Not after a long time. My nendo: to find a new one. But then –

"Hold it right there, Uchiha!"

It was Lady Hokage. She looked quite angry, and she was carrying a scroll. "I've reviewed the laws. All rouge ninja must be punished! It would be unfair to the others we've punished if you were just absolved. But as Lady Hokage, I can change the punishment to whatever I want! And Sasuke Uchiha, you are hereby punished to serve Konoha as a shinobi… for the rest of your life!"

Silence.

"That is my punishment to you, Sasuke! And I assure you will not be able to evade it."

The sun was already high up in the sky when Kakashi and I finished all our work. The dobe still slept on his desk, a pool of saliva already forming under his mouth. I placed the remaining files in the drawer. "Well, it's time we head out," the Elder said, locking up the safe. "Let's go."

We descended the stair together, but once we were on the ground, we parted ways. Again, I was walking down the streets of Konoha.

"Good afternoon, Sasuke-san!"

"Good afternoon to you, too."

"Hello, there, Sasuke-san! I heard your son Sanosuke is already a jounin, and your daughter is about to become a chunin."

"We're not sure about that yet, she might not pass the exams. She's still young, there's always next time."

"Oh, but she is of the Great Uchiha Clan! She can be chunin in just one try!"

More greetings and small talk awaited me. I was caught up in all the commotion; I didn't know where my feet were leading me. I find myself facing the riverside where Naruto first declared me as a part of his family.

I sigh. The path to my redemption was long. It took me a while to feel fully accepted in Konoha. But I followed what Naruto said, to wield my sword, and wield it for the lives of others. It got easier after that, and pretty soon, I was a local hero as well. I sit down, feeling the weight of my age. From this spot, I could see the mountain where the usuratonkachi's face was carved. He was the one who gave me everything. And it all started when he showed me what path to walk. After that, everything else followed. It was all thanks to him.

I remember when he told me that my debt has already been repaid when I saved his life on an A-ranked mission once. Dobe. No matter how many times I save him, my debt will never be repaid. I guess once an usuratonkachi, always an usuratonkachi.

The day carried on with its usual routines. I did my duty of helping Naruto with any way I can. I do this without any complaint. I will protect Naruto and everyone I love – heck, the entire village even, and make sure they are happy. I will do this until the day of my last breath. After all, that is my nendo: my ninja way.

The End

Hello guys! This is the first time I ever cried making a fanfic. I cried when Sasuke was about to walk out the gate. I'm such an usuratonkachi! So, tell me if it's any good, okay?

Love lots, the emotional, lamely-named, Sasuke and Naruto bromance fangirl,

Legendaryhuntress

Stand, Bow, Bye!