Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Kishimoto Masashi.

Note: This story focuses on the events after the Fourth Shinobi War. I'll be linking some references taken from the Hiden novels and some of the episodes from the anime. But then again, this is my own interpretation so if you have any questions or clarifications feel free to message me. No bashing either. Thank you very much and on with the story!

3/7/2017 - Updated and edited the story. I'll be explaining the changes in my author's note below. For now, please enjoy the story.

Aftermath: Post War

Chapter 1: The Road to Recovery

Inky black irises stared listlessly at the whitewashed walls.

As the strong scent of medicine permeated his nostrils, the last of the Uchiha clan realized he was recuperating in the medical ward of the hospital. Clutching his throbbing head, he briefly recalled passing out due to injuries, exhaustion, and severe chakra depletion.

His usual stony expression gradually changed into inhibited glum. Wincing at the pain radiating from his left shoulder, his long pale fingers trailed to where his arm used to be.

'I shouldn't be here.'

His plan to defeat Naruto for the fate of the entire Shinobi World failed. Their grueling battle lasted for days and nights, reducing the Valley of the End eventually into rubble.

In the end, Naruto's unyielding Will of Fire won him over, thereby ending The Curse of Hatred that plagued the Uchiha clan for generations.

His loss was inevitable.

True to his word, his self-proclaimed friend succeeded in bringing him back to Konoha. Their long-awaited and weighty reconciliation was coupled with the destruction of their respective arms and hemorrhaging to death had Sakura not intervened on time.

Indeed, Sasuke returned…amidst the disapproving looks of the people.

With the Uchiha tragedy long forgotten and his status as an international criminal widely known, convalescence was far-gone. As Naruto stepped on the pedestal to become the village's symbol of hope, Sasuke perceptively turned into an embodiment of everyone's hatred.

This unwelcoming treatment was certain since he killed Itachi, Danzō and several people whose names he forgot for the sake of power. Not to mention his kidnapping of Killer Bee and singlehandedly creating discord at the Kage Summit.

Initially, he justified his actions as acts of vengeance against Konoha for ostracizing his clan and turning his brother into a criminal. In the end, his misguided deeds triggered a massive chain reaction.

For instance, killing his elder brother should supposedly bring him closure. However, reuniting with Itachi's reincarnated form, witnessing his dying smile, and learning the true reason for their clan's demise regrettably derailed his plans of retaliation against Konoha.

Confused at his brother's undying loyalty to the village who branded him a traitor; he revived Orochimaru to bring the previous Hokages back to the mortal plane. Encountering the First Hokage and learning the meaning of the village and its shinobi further convinced Sasuke that he wouldn't let his brother's sacrifice be in vain.

By taking an active role in the Fourth Shinobi World War and protecting the village that turned its back on his clan, Sasuke thought it would finally lessen the burgeoning hatred he held onto.

However, it wasn't enough to satiate his sanity.

Not even defeating his ancestor Madara and the progenitor of all chakra called Kaguya eased the burden. Although he managed to curb his desire for vengeance due to Itachi's influence, a part of his mind still nagged him.

'This feeling of hate…did not go away.'

The heavy feeling should have vanished after he acknowledged his defeat. Ironically, what replaced the Curse of Hatred that afflicted Sasuke was emptiness. With his reason for living gone, he imagined himself standing haplessly in the middle of nowhere.

For the very first time in his life, he was at a loss on what to do.

'I should be better off dead.'

Loud snoring broke his thoughts.

Sasuke parted the curtain aside, eyeing the source of the noise with mild irascibility. Sleeping on the bed next to his was Uzumaki Naruto. Judging from the twisted sheets draped askew on his sprawled form and mumbling "Ramen" and "Sasuke-teme," he was having a pleasant dream. Bruises similar to his covered the Kyubi vessel's body and his amputated arm wrapped expertly in bandages.

The raven-haired lad frowned. Naruto's injuries are so severe that it will hinder him in returning to his usual self. Known throughout Konoha as the hyperactive dead last, Sasuke had an inkling that the nine-tailed beast residing within Naruto was working tenaciously for his recovery.

Naruto will be out of bed in no time.

Due to his heroic participation during the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto was no longer the same rambunctious boy who used to pull pranks on the villagers in order to get their attention.

'As if they think of him that way now.'

To the village, Naruto was nothing more but a cursed vessel for the Kyubi. In retaliation to his unjust mistreatment, he worked tremendously hard to earn their respect. Ultimately, what he craved most was not their acknowledgment but of his elusive teammate's. Unbeknownst to him, Sasuke recognized his skills a long time ago.

'At least he had a goal,' he thought smugly. The idiot was very vocal of his ambition to be Hokage since Day 1 at the Academy. The Uchiha realized that the title was now within Naruto's reach since he already garnered everyone's praise and respect.

'Naruto, you lived up to your promise. Yet I…I am not sure if returning here was the right thing to do. This village reeks of painful memories,' Sasuke pondered, phantom pain slowly creeping up his severed limb.

He laughed silently at his current self. 'This is my punishment for all wrongdoings I've done in the past. Even if I helped in defeating Madara Kaguya, I don't expect to be forgiven. I don't even deserve a place in this new era. As long as this stupid Shinobi system remains…vying for freedom is not an option.'

'Maybe wishing for death was not such a bad idea after all.'

'Breathe in. Breathe out.'

A week has passed since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War.

Everything in the village returned steadily to normal.

After doing her usual morning routine at the hospital, Sakura decided to check on Naruto and Sasuke. Her thoughts drifted to the outcome of their battle at the Valley of the End. After breaking free from Sasuke's genjutsu, the first thing that came to her mind was to go after them.

The journey wasn't an easy task due to her dragging Kakashi's chakra-drained body along the way. Upon reaching the valley, both were appalled at the extremely defaced monuments of Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Her eyes scanned the area quickly for her teammates, eventually finding their battered selves amidst the rubble.

Horror crept inside her, jumping down in haste to check on them. Assessing the extent of both boys' injuries, she chose to prioritize treatment on their damaged arms. While wordlessly healing their amputations to stave off further bleeding, the medic-nin gratefully prayed that she made it in time.

Sporting a swollen left eye with bluish-black ecchymosis covering his tanned features, Naruto looked calm and happy at one go, thanking her for the aid. On the other hand, Sasuke was his usual stoic self. Eyeing his injuries, Sakura surmised that the physical blows he received were probably not enough to curb the darkness in his heart. During their trek, Kakashi filled her in with the details she missed while being unconscious, subsequently thanking him for defending her from Sasuke's harsh dismissal.

'Feelings from a failed past, huh?'

Regardless, she was still a medical specialist. Even if wholly drained from Sasuke's genjutsu, she still alleviated the pain of its caster by healing his injured arm. Concentrating on distributing equal amounts of healing chakra on their arms, she barely minded Sasuke when he addressed her name. She callously told him not to disturb her while administering treatment when –

'I'm sorry…for everything.'

Her heart clenched with bottled-up elation after hearing his ill-timed apology. Gazing down at him, she saw his eyes no longer held the same cold and unfeeling expression of hate but replaced with remorse.

Tears fell down her face.

Finally.

'Damn it, he was such a jerk.'

"All's well that ends well," the pinkette hummed to herself, rounding a corner. The aftermath of the war produced considerable results on her teammates' respective behaviors. Defeating Kaguya and settling their issues mellowed them. The last part came out surprising since the two generally argued over the simplest things. They were not the same wide-eyed boys who preferred to beat each other up.

The sounds of her footsteps died down as Sakura finally reached her stop. Pasting a smile on her face, she firmly grasped the handle and opened the door. "Hello! How are you guys doing?"

Naruto's head instantly snapped in her direction, his bright countenance lightening the room's gloomy atmosphere. "Hey, Sakura-chan!"

In contrast, Sasuke acknowledged her arrival with a brief nod. Closing the door, Sakura ambled forward as her clinical eyes habitually assessed their condition, firstly stopping at Naruto's bedside.

"So," she began, inspecting the blond's injured arm. There are no signs of bleeding from his stump but his bandages needed changing. Mentally ticking a reminder for the nurse to address the issue later, she asked him, "How are you feeling today, Naruto?"

"Aside from getting bored while being shacked with teme here, I'd say I'm peachy."

She smiled briefly. Same old Naruto. "It's just a few more days. You guys suffered more injuries than the others."

Naruto wrinkled his nose in disgust. "How can you stand working in this hospital, Sakura-chan? The food here is terrible. Can you tell Kakashi-sensei to bring me ramen the next time you see him?"

Sakura shook her head. "No can do. Until you guys are fully recovered, you're not allowed to eat solid food."

"Oh man, that sucks."

Sakura rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Bear with it. Now, do not move your arm for the next couple of days. If you feel any sort of throbbing on your stump, take these," Reaching inside her coat pocket, she dropped a bag of painkillers on Naruto's upturned palm.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan! I knew we could count on you," Naruto grinned.

Sakura smiled back, sadly this time. Even with the Kyubi's accelerated healing, it did not have the ability to regenerate lost limbs. Adding more to her confusion was Naruto's sunny disposition. It gave her the impression that he did not mind the loss of his left arm.

From the way Naruto's blue eyes crinkle and his huge grin while interacting with Sasuke, Sakura knew that their stoic teammate's presence alone was the likely source of his cheerful mood. Even she found it unbelievable that he was there, breathing in the same room as them.

For her it felt surreal.

He was finally back.

Though her feelings for Sasuke dampened after he hit her with his genjutsu, Naruto's forgiving face and his mistimed apology softened the blow. She found no harm in being civil with him now. Right now, what mattered most is that their team is finally complete.

Setting her musings aside, Sakura tried to catch up on the topic Naruto is referring to Sasuke, raising his thumb to prove a point. "Am I right, Sasuke?"

"Aa."

Blank as always.

Same old Sasuke.

Sakura wished Naruto rubbed some of his easygoing approach on her. She hastily diverted topics to ease the awkwardness she was currently feeling. "Well, I'm glad you're both recovering quickly. Tsunade-shishou made sure that you guys get the best treatment."

Naruto scratched his nose shyly, a certain habit of his when he's flustered. He missed Sakura's motherly nature. Of the three of them, she was the mature one, except when she fawned over Sasuke. "Ahahaha…don't forget to send Tsunade-bachan our thanks."

Sakura nodded, shifting to Sasuke's bedside. After checking his overall condition, her fingertips glowed green with chakra and she pressed her hand lightly on his left eye hidden by bandages. "On Sasuke-kun's case, refrain from using your left eye. Using the Rinnegan will cause further eye strain if you keep on using it."

"…Hn." There was no use for it now in this peaceful state.

Naruto took notice of his short responses. "Something on your mind, teme? You're pretty quiet."

"Hn."

"Don't 'hn' us! What's wrong?" he urged.

Sakura tensed, beginning to worry. The tension was growing thick and usually, these kinds of interactions did not bode well.

Sasuke's finally gaze met theirs, a weary expression on his pale face. "Now that the war's over, what will happen next?"

His comrades traded cagey looks. They did not expect him to ask that kind of question. Sakura was unsure so she remained silent.

On the other hand, Naruto was astonished. Quickly recovering from the impact of Sasuke's sudden query, he answered, "We'll most likely have peace since Madara, Kaguya are long dead, and the tailed beasts are no longer considered threats to the world. Everything will return to how it was before."

A hollow laugh escaped the Uchiha's lips. "So you preferred living in a pipe dream then."

Naruto's eyes flashed defiantly. "This world deserves a peaceful era. We fought hard to achieve it." When Sasuke did not reply, he quipped, "Look at us. Even if our paths diverged halfway, we eventually met in the end. Don't underestimate the power of friendship, teme."

"Sasuke-kun, it's not just you. Everyone feels the same way. Right now, we need to focus in getting everyone back on their feet," Sakura agreed, placing a hand gingerly on his hand.

Her touch brought an aversive feeling in Sasuke's gut but he let it slide. "Aa…"

Naruto was unconvinced by his quiet assent. Forcing his wobbly legs off the bed, he plopped down at the foot of Sasuke's bed. "Are you planning to run away?"

"No."

"Then what's all this negativity? You don't sound like the overconfident prick we used to know," Naruto insisted.

If Sasuke did not destroy his left arm, he will crush Naruto with a chidori. Hearing Sakura giggling in the background was even worse. Trust the dobe in making light of their situation.

In some way, Naruto's sardonic remarks allayed his doubts. He groaned, leaning against the headboard. "You guys are killing me. I don't even know what to say."

Naruto bopped him hard on the head. "Then quit yapping, 'ttebayo! We're here for you so tell us what's going on inside that head of yours. If I remember correctly, the reason why our teamwork fell apart was because you're not open with us!"

"That hurt, idiot."

"Well, you deserve it. Seriously, stop being so glum! As I said before, our teamwork failed because you do not share your thoughts with us. So –"

"So?" Sakura echoed.

The blond-haired boy grinned widely at his friends. "We'll start all over again by introducing ourselves."

Silence deadened the room.

Naruto did not like the bemused expressions on his friends' faces. He flapped his arm wildly in protest. "Hey! It's the least we can do since we did not see each other for a long time! We have a lot to catch up on."

Sasuke deadpanned. "We saw each other during the war."

"It wasn't a heartfelt reunion, teme!"

"Your cheesy attitude sickens me, dobe."

'Some things never change,' Sakura mused. Stepping in-between them, she warned lightly, "Boys, behave. And no more rooftop battles, you hear?"

Seething, both boys nodded.

Satisfied, Sakura stood up. Glancing at the wall clock, she winced at the time. "Oops! Sorry guys but I gotta go. I'm meeting Ino in thirty minutes."

"Where are you going, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

The pinkette hurriedly gathered her things. "I'm supposed to help Ino at the evacuation shelter once I'm done with my shift here. Apparently, there are still some shinobi left in need of treatment."

Sasuke nodded. Sending Sakura to help at the shelter was definitely a wise decision since her medical abilities were currently on par with Tsunade's. It will certainly decrease the mortalities caused by the war and Madara's infinite genjutsu. Other countries hit by Madara's large-scale attacks had most of its citizens relocated to the Hidden Leaf for safety.

Naruto patted her on the head. "Don't strain yourself."

Sakura smiled warmly. "Thanks. See you guys tomorrow!" After a quick wave, she left the room.

The room fell into a brief calm.

Naruto sluggishly returned to his bed. "You know," he began, "It's hard to believe that it's finally over." He took Sasuke's silence as his cue to keep talking. "We defeated a super being like Kaguya! That's no ordinary feat!"

The Uchiha shrugged. "Ordinary shinobis won't last against the likes of her. We won because we had a lot of help from the Sage of Six Paths the past Kages."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, cerulean eyes brimming with significance when he fulfilled his lifelong dream to fight alongside his dad and the other Kages. However, he needed to confirm something from the tight-lipped teen next to him. "When I met my dad, he mentioned about something."

Sasuke racked his brain. "The Fourth Hokage, was it?"

Naruto grinned. "When he said that one of my comrades will be coming to help, I knew it had to be you." When his friend did not respond, he prodded. "My guess was right after I confirmed your chakra signature. I had no idea why you changed your mind, but, thank you for helping us back there."

"There's no reason for you to thank me."

"Accept the flattery, teme. It's really unbecoming of you to be so ungrateful," Naruto chided playfully. Ah, how he missed this good ol' bantering of theirs. He could tell Sasuke was feeling bad about something and he was determined to know why. "Since it's just the two of us, why don't we start the ball rolling? What's wrong?"

"Hn."

"That's not a sentence!" Naruto growled.

Sasuke flinched from the pain on his ribs. "Like I told you before, you guys are living in a pipe dream. Do you really think everything will go back to the way it was? As ridiculous as that sounds, it is impossible. You have the ability to move people. However…" His mismatched eyes darkened. "It doesn't work that way with me."

Naruto raised a brow at his statement.

Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling a bout of tiredness. "I'm an international criminal. I killed people to gain more power. I killed Itachi for the sake of revenge. After I found out Danzō plotted and ordered my brother to massacre our clan, I killed him too. I tried to set things right by starting a revolution and threatening to kill the five Kages. Afterward, you defeated me. Now that everything's over…I don't see any reason to live."

His blond friend regarded his words with attentiveness. It was rare for Sasuke to disclose his innermost thoughts to another person. "It's because you haven't found it yet," he answered, truthfully. "I told you, we're starting over. Several things happened during those 3 years. Despite all the bad things you did, we want you back. We still do."

"You should've killed me."

Blue eyes narrowed to slits. "That's a stupid idea coming from you, teme. Stop fantasizing about death."

"I'm making it easier for you. Think of it as getting rid of an obstacle."

"What do you take us for, just your plain old Team 7 comrades?" Naruto snarled angrily. "There's no way I'm allowing that to happen, –ttebayo! Our teamwork failed because we're not open with each other!"

Sasuke smirked, opening his eyes. "I'm doing it now, aren't I?"

"If I didn't force those words outta your mouth, I would've strangled you! Sheesh, teme!" The Kyubi heir clenched his fist. "I think you're just restless because we're stuck here in the hospital."

'I'm not restless,' Sasuke grimaced. Trust the dobe in making light of the situation again. Konoha might be a neutral country and will still accept him back but he committed international crimes, which are punishable by death.

The Five Kage, especially the Raikage, have not forgotten about Killer Bee's kidnapping and the assault at the Kage Summit. Adding Danzō's death in the list, Sasuke knew Root would also exact revenge on him soon.

Either way, his death was imminent.

Naruto seemed to know what he was thinking. More or less, he understood Sasuke's moody temperament. No matter how hard Sasuke tried to hide it, the blond boy could still read his thoughts. "Don't worry about it. Everything will turn out fine."

"I find your optimism hardly comforting," Sasuke retorted.

Naruto glared at him reproachfully. Sasuke's lack of confidence was upsetting. "Let's leave that criminal issue of yours to Tsunade-bachan and Kakashi-sensei," he assured him. "You did a huge part in saving the world so I trust them well enough to find a way in saving your sorry ass!"

"I'm appalled that you find Sasuke-kun's ass in a sorry state, Naruto-kun."

Both shinobis jumped at the sight of Sai standing in front of them. A creepy smile slinked its way across his pale face, seeing the Uchiha's miffed expression and his bewhiskered teammate at his wits end, sputtering nonsensical words.

Naruto angrily pointed an accusing finger at their intruder. "Stupid Sai! There's a reason why you should knock before going in!"

Sai feigned hurt. "I apologize. I didn't mean to intrude on an intimate conversation between two hot-blooded men."

Sasuke regretted the loss of his arm.

"Anyway," the former Root member started, quelling any traces of Naruto's bloodlust aimed at him. "I'm here to inform you that a funeral for the fallen shinobi will take place at the Heroes Memorial tomorrow afternoon. Kakashi-san wants to confirm if both of you are going to attend."

"I'll go," Naruto piped in.

Sai nodded. He turned his attention to the raven-haired boy. "You?"

Sasuke declined. "It's a funeral for heroes. I don't see any point for me to be there."

"Kakashi-san mentioned that Uchiha Itachi's name will be included at the memorial."

The Uchiha merely glared at him.

Adding more fuel to the fire, Sai continued. "The Hyuga clan also agreed to include Hizashi-san Neji's names in the list since both of them died honorably for the sake of the village."

Naruto went still.

He will never forget his fallen comrades, let alone Neji. Until now, he still couldn't believe that he was indeed gone. A sense of negativity washed over him. Did Kurama sense the shadow of grief looming above his heart? The fact that Neji died because of him was unacceptable.

The two men noted the slight tremor on Naruto's shoulders. Sasuke was unaware of Neji's passing and wasn't interested to know the exact facts. Regardless of that, he refused the invitation since it didn't feel right to attend the funeral. He already lost that privilege when he defected from Konoha.

On the other hand, Sakura informed Sai of Neji's death after they recovered his body from the battle. She explained that the pallid-eyed jōnin's sacrifice gave Naruto the motivation he needed to defeat Obito.

"Naruto-kun," he spoke, focusing on his task. "Sakura said she'll try to follow if her shift ends at the evacuation shelter. If you'd like, I can accompany you in her stead."

Naruto smiled lightly. "Thanks for the offer, Sai. I'll just see you at the memorial."

Sai returned it with one of his own. "All right, then." Seeing Sasuke's pensive stance, he impishly added. "I better go, seeing that you two still have a lot to catch up on."

Naruto waved a hand goodbye as Sai left the room. Leaning against the pillows, he murmured. "It's finally happening."

"Aa."

"Losing an important comrade…when Ero-Sannin died, the pain was unbearable. I felt it again when Obito and Madara attacked Neji the others just to prove their points. If only we met Super Gramps a little early then we might've saved them."

"Hyuga did what he deemed best. So did the others."

"Yeah, but…"

Sasuke retorted. "The outcome will not change. He knew if you die, the enemy would win. The others know this. You are aware of this. It's…"

"Inevitable," Naruto finished. "Losing is inevitable."

His eyes narrowed at his rival's choice of words.

The bewhiskered teen noted his solemn expression. "You are thinking about it, too?"

"Aa," he admitted. "But not in the way you're thinking."

"Great minds think alike," Naruto sneered. He finally had an idea what lurked inside the teme's mind. "To you, losing to me was a big wake-up call. I agree that the outcome will not change. But it doesn't mean it had to stay that way."

"What are you getting at?"

"Even if you become the world's enemy, I'll always be your friend. I won't let you walk through that shady path alone again. We'll always be together – you, Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei."

"Naruto…"

Naruto grinned widely. "Itachi mentioned you need guidance in order to move on. Therefore, I'll be the beacon that shines your distorted path. The time has come for you to walk towards the path of light, teme!"

Without reply, Sasuke fingered the bandages wrapped around his stump. Death was an expected outcome in their world. Losing important comrades was akin to his entire clan's loss. As painful as it was, he chose not to dwell on it. Revenge was no longer an option since he knew of Itachi's sacrifice.

What remained of his brother's legacy was implanted in his eye sockets.

'Nisan…I often wondered what kind of world you saw in these eyes of yours. Will I see the same thing?'

Recalling Naruto's words, a faint smile ghosted his pale face.

Maybe, just maybe, he will accept the dobe's offer.

A/N: Hello minna-san! Boredyetinspiredartist here, appearing after a lengthy hiatus. It has been a long time since the series ended so I relived my fangirling soul by watching the anime. Unfortunately, I did not like some of the episodes SP had provided so I decided to create my own interpretation to appease my creative appetite. After all, there is a reason why Naruto had a "Blank Period" wink wink.

3/8/2017: Edited mostly of the grammatical errors and added more insight to Sasuke's thoughts. I'll be doing this to the next chapters as well. Rest assured that there are no major changes to the story. Just needed to spice things up. For those who read and reviewed the story from the beginning, thank you very much!