The dock. An ordinary place in an ordinary Hidden Village. But those pieces of wood held something special for Sasuke and Naruto. Neither of them confronted this simple fact. Neither of them wanted to talk about what they were. Neither of them needed to.
The dock. Every day, around sunset, Sasuke would go sit on the edge and think of his brother. Think of the traitor that killed their entire family then left, abandoning Sasuke as weak and useless. And everyday Naruto would be walking home to his lonely apartment after another day of tolerating loudly whispered insults and trying desperately to gain acknowledgement from his classmates and teachers. Everyday he would pass by the dock, and everyday he stared at the last Uchiha child as he walked, feeling the familiar pain of loneliness radiate off him.
The dock. Some days soon after the little routine was established, Sasuke would feel Naruto's looks and turn around slightly to glare at the blond. Naruto would quickly either glare back or look away, usually the latter. But it eventually got to the point where Sasuke didn't glare, only met Naruto's bright blue eyes with apathy. It was then that Naruto started looking at the boy with pity.
The dock. It had been in the village for longer than anyone could remember, and it had seen some interesting things. But this particular situation was unique. Two boys, seemingly opposite yet exactly alike, trying to live life in opposite ways. Neither was happy, and they mostly made themselves as such.
The dock. That's where it had all started, really. Those glances traded by two little boys, each seeking someone who understood. But time moved on, it changed things and people. Within a few years, the sad little Uchiha was an emotionless pile of glares, and the miserable little Uzumaki had become an awkward, childish ninja with something to prove and no way to prove it.
The dock. That's what came to their minds and the Valley of the End, with attacks readied and bodies willing to take their struggle to the death. Because the dock was special to them, just as Naruto was Sasuke's best friend and Sasuke was the special person of Naruto's that he'd vowed to rescue.
The dock. The place Naruto still passed everyday, the place that would forever remind him of Sasuke, and his promise to rescue his best friend.