The Story of Naruto's Goggles

The Strange Injuries

He was always hurt. Bruised or bleeding, walking around with infected cuts, welts and sores. He seemed to grow accustomed to an excess of injuries. He hardly noticed them and very, very oddly the majority of them only lasted a day at the most… Then, like magic, there were no more bruises. It wasn't normal play. I knew that even when I was just seven. His injuries weren't normal. Often, he was late to the lake.

"Naruto, you're almost a half hour late!" I scolded him.

Naruto grinned in his wrinkled, stained t-shirt and his torn, ragged shorts. He put his hands behind his head exposing a deep cut on his shoulder.

"What happened?" I asked him.

He immediately pulled his sleeve over it.

"Nothing, I just tripped…I was running here and I tripped."

I would have believed him if it wasn't consistent; every other day he was late and had an injury. My father told me I couldn't see him anymore before I could unravel the mystery behind his injuries but, because of Itachi, I got another once in a life-time chance to see the only boy my age I'd ever had a conversation with.

My Beloved Brother

The day Itachi gave me another chance, I was spying on him. I had no idea he knew I was there but looking back on it, I realize it was stupid to think he wouldn't notice. It wasn't like I was an official ninja yet... I hid under a bush watching him practice. He was standing completely still not doing anything that I could see so it was boring. I just wanted to make sure he was okay. Lately, he'd been acting really strange, saying weird things and giving Mom and Dad weird looks. Mom kept telling me not to worry and Dad doesn't seem to care but I couldn't help but feel like something is changing around me. Suddenly, I felt something moving near my upper leg, into my shorts. I rolled onto my back and had to stop myself from yelling out in surprise as a rabbit pounced onto my chest. The rabbit nudged its furry nose into my neck and I covered my mouth trying to hold back laugher. I rolled back over, keeping the rabbit under my arm and peered out at Itachi. He was still standing there. I breathed a sigh of relief. I rolled onto my back again. I held the rabbit up over my head.

"You're a cute little guy, aren't you?" I said.

He had golden brown fur with a small white spot on his chest and a round, fluffy white tail. I hugged him. He made a high pitched squeaking sound. I held my breath…counted to five…then slowly turned over, keeping the rabbit steady under my arm and peered out of the bushes.

Itachi was gone.

"Where did he go, little rabbit?" I said.

Suddenly, someone gripped my ankle and pulled me out from under the bushes. I held onto the rabbit and slid out into the open.

Itachi looked down at me.

"What's the point of hiding from an enemy when you have something so loud and obvious with you?" he asked.

I sat up and frowned.

"You're not an enemy, Nii-san." I said.

He stared at me with a blank expression and I looked back. In those moments that passed, it seemed like there was something he wanted to say to me. Something he couldn't. Finally, I looked down at the rabbit in my lap who was more interested in munching on grass.

"Can I…pet him?"

I looked up at Itachi with wide eyes. He squatted down next to me. I grinned.

"Sure." I said lifting the rabbit over to him.

Itachi grabbed it, sat down in a cross-legged position next to me, and stroked the rabbit. The wind blew lifting my hot, black hair off of my neck.

"Nii-san?" I said.

He looked up at me.

"I miss you." I said.

He looked back down.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "I'm right here."

"No, you're not." I protested. "Even when you look at me, it feels like…like…"

"Like, I'm looking right through you?" he asked.

His black eyes set onto mine. The rabbit wandered back over to me and nibbled at my fingers. I couldn't take my eyes away from Itachi. I nodded slowly. He smiled, reached over and flicked my forehead like he always did.

"Sasuke…no matter what happens after this, I'll always, always love you." He said. "Even when I am looking right through you."

For some strange reason, I felt reassured. I felt like everything would be fine. We stood up and walked back toward the house.

"Do you want to come with me to the library?" he asked. "There's something I have to pick up."

"But…Dad's still mad about before." I said. "I can't leave."

Itachi put his hand on my head and ruffled my hair.

"We can have a secret, can't we?" he asked.

I grinned. "Yeah!"

I picked up my satchel which I carried my ninja scrolls and books in and slid the rabbit inside. He poked his head out of the side and I fed him pieces of grass as we walked.

"Nii-san, what do you think we should name him?" I asked.

Itachi glanced down at me absent-mindedly, almost like he forgot I was there and then he looked at the rabbit.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry but…you can't keep him." He said.

"What? Why?" I asked.

He was silent for a while.

"It just…isn't a good idea." He said vaguely.

After that, we were silent the entire way there. I purposely avoided his eyes and walked clutching the rabbit hoping he would feel bad and take it back. But he did, we went to the library and he told me to wait outside. I sat there and the rabbit, almost like he knew he belonged with me, stood there next to me without me having to hold him. There was a gate around the library. Outside of it, I could see a couple of boys walking toward the trees. I noticed something very familiar and ran up to the gate, squinting as hard as I could. I was right! Naruto was one of the boys. There were four total, the other three were a lot taller than he was. He was following after them with his head down almost like he didn't want to go. I wanted to get his attention but I knew it wouldn't do any good, I'd just have to go back home anyway. The rabbit nudged at my leg. I picked him up and stroked him, watching with my hands gripping the loop holes in the fence.

"Come back…" I whispered.

"Would you feel better if…I let you go see him again?"

I whirled around. Itachi stood there holding a note in his hand which he stuffed into his pocket.

"But…Dad said…"

"We can have another secret." He said.

I never knew Itachi to be so secretive…but it didn't matter. I nodded vigorously and smiled. He grabbed my hand and we walked in the direction which I saw Naruto heading.

Sasuke the Savior

"Sasuke, I'm gonna go get some other stuff done, be home before sunset, I'll wait for you by the entrance to the District." He said.

I nodded and he ran off. I wandered further into the village looking for him. He was nowhere in the village, nowhere near the other side of town or the dingy apartments… I saw no mobs, no restlessness from the villagers, no crowds… It was just as if he'd disappeared. By chance, I checked out the forest near the Uchiha District where my brother was training earlier. At first, I saw nothing except birds and more rabbits.

"Really…where is this guy?" I mumbled. "This is strange…"

Suddenly, I heard a loud voice. I went toward it, hands in pocket, hoping it was someone who could tell me where Naruto went. Three boys stood around a hole. It was the same boys I saw walking with Naruto before! One of them peered into it and yelled.

"Shut- Up!"

Then he turned to the other two.

"Hurry! Before someone comes, fill it up!"

"Help!" yelled a voice from inside the hole. "Let me out of here!"

My blood went cold…that voice…that was…

"Naruto." I whispered. "They're…burying him…why?"

The boys began to shovel quickly.

"He'll suffocate." I whispered to myself. "They're trying to kill him."

I balled my fists suddenly furious. My hair lifted off of the back of my neck. But the rabbit began to whimper. I put a finger to my lips and took my satchel off.

"Just wait here, little rabbit." I whispered. "I can't let them do that to Naruto…wait for me."

I stood back up, angrier than I'd ever felt in my life and feeling a rush of blood.

"Stop it!" I shouted.

They all jumped and dropped their shovels but those boys had to be almost chunin and I wasn't even a ninja yet…so they stared me down and smirked.

"What do you want, half-pint?" the leader asked.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted.

He laughed and motioned to his friends to keep shoveling.

"Cover up his face now." The leader ordered. "Quick…I'll take care of this stupid kid."

He sneered down at me.

"Wanna get beat up, kid? If not I suggest you turn around and pretend like nothing happened."

"That's my friend!" I shouted.

His sneered turned into a snarl.

"Like I give a shit about that monster kid, and if you're dumb enough to try to save him, you probably should die too!"

He dashed for me and something suddenly snapped inside of me. It may have been Naruto's voice suddenly being muffled by the dirt covering his face, or a fear of being killed by some evil leaf chunin boys, or...maybe it was in my blood…but no matter what the catalyst was…I suddenly was set off. Everything began moving in slow motion, I could predict his movements before he made them…and I reacted by running through his legs and grabbing the shovel off the ground behind him. When he turned around I used it to beat the leader on the head and then, as he stumbled and collapsed to the ground, I formed the hand signals I had just learned from my father a couple days before and I efficiently performed the fireball jutsu. The boys dodged out of the way just in time.

"No way, he's…he's…"

Their eyes locked on the symbol on my back.

"He's an Uchiha."

I was hot…I wanted to destroy those guys for even thinking they could put a hand on Naruto. I began to form the symbols again. They backed away.

"We're sorry!" one of them exclaimed.

"Please have mercy!" the other said.

I paused momentarily and they took the second of weakness to escape. The leader who I beat with the shovel was holding his bleeding head. I turned to him and he screamed like a little girl.

"Those eyes…" he whispered. "Your eyes…"

I slowly walked toward him with the shovel…thinking of beating him more.

"How could you already be able to use a sharingan this young?" he asked.

I swung at him. He dodged it, backed away and sprinted off.

"And if you ever even think you can lay a hand on him, I'll kill you!" I shouted after him.

Then I jumped into the hole and removed the dirt from Naruto's face. He was buried deep, probably holding his breath all that time. When I pulled him up, he coughed and gasped for air. His wrists were tied down to roots so that he wasn't able to sit up. His eyes fluttered but he couldn't keep them on me, he was going in and out of consciousness, he was beaten up pretty badly. I felt something change inside me. My eyes, which felt like they were straining, suddenly felt at ease and things began moving in regular time instead of in slow motion. I reached down to rip the ropes off but they strangely burned off…Naruto's wrists were somehow…burning the rope to crisps. At the time, I shrugged it off thinking maybe the dirt was causing the rope to rapidly decay but when I realized what Naruto was, what he had inside of him, I understood…the Nine Tails was saving him. Even if I hadn't come, Naruto may have been able to climb his way back up before he suffocated. Naruto's eyes stopped fluttering and he fell against me…passing out. I lifted him onto my back and carried him out of the hole. I also felt very weak for some strange reason so I could only walk as far as the outskirts of the forest and then I collapsed. I set Naruto down at the base of a tree and lay next to him. In seconds, I had also passed out and both of our unconscious bodies lay there, exposed. If those boys had come back…we'd probably be killed but we were lucky…

What felt like hours later, I was shaken roughly.

"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed like he'd already called me a million times.

I sat up feeling dazed and weak.

"What?" I mumbled.

"What are we doing here?"

I looked around, it was dark…night time. I blinked and rubbed my eyes.

"I don't remember." I said and it was the truth…I didn't.

Naruto winced. He had a big gash on his forehead.

"Whoa, what happened?" I asked.

He looked down.

"The last thing I remember…some boys threw a stone at me."

I touched his forehead gingerly.

"Why would they do that?" I asked.

He shrugged.

"People don't really like me around here."

I knew that very well, the first time I met him he was in the center of an angry mob and things were being thrown at him then…

"So that's where all your bruises come from." I said in realization.

He kept his eyes on the grass after a while, I saw tear droplets hit in the grass under his face.

"Naruto…" I said.

He wiped his face and smiled.

"I need a forehead protector." He suddenly said. "Like all the ninja get to wear."

I was caught off guard so I just stared at him.

"Then they wouldn't even be able to touch me." He said, all smiles.

Suddenly, something started nudging at my shorts. A round brown thing. A smile spread across my face.

"Little rabbit!" I said holding him to my chest.

And then my morning came back to me…everything except how I ended up there. But I remembered being with Itachi and finding the rabbit. Naruto reached out and pet him. Suddenly, something occurred to me.

"Oh no! I'm late! Nii-san said he'd be waiting for me!"

Naruto didn't frown or cry. He just accepted it.

"Okay. I'll see you again, right?"

I nodded at him and started off.

"Wait, Sasuke." Naruto suddenly said.

I turned and looked at him and he smiled.

"Thank you."

I raised my eyebrows.

"For what?" I asked.

He shrugged.

"I just…feel like I should be thanking you for something."

I laughed.

"You're weird, Naruto." I told him and then I ran home.

The Rabbit Exchange

Itachi was waiting when I got there and he didn't ask any questions. As I lay in bed that night, I could help but think about Naruto. People were hurting him. Even though he didn't seem to care, I cared a lot. I wanted to do something for him. The next day, I did some housework for my aunt and uncle and had a lot more money than I usually did. I had permission to go out of the District again to purchase a present for myself. This time, instead of going into the village to buy something alone, I asked Itachi to come with me since I planned to go a bit farther. As we left, the rabbit caught up to us and I picked him up and stroked him.

"Nii-san, even if I don't get to keep him, I want to name him." I said.

Itachi, as absent-minded as he had been recently, nodded.

"I want to name him Itachi." I said.

That caught his attention, he looked down at me.

"Why?"

"Because no matter where I go, he comes too." I said. "So, I know he loves me like you do."

Itachi looked away from me and for the first time in a very long time, he smiled.

We came to a cart that sold ninja tools and I tugged on Itachi's hand to make him stop.

"This one, I want to buy from this one!" I told him.

He raised his eyebrows.

"You want ninja tools?" he asked. "We have plenty at home."

I shook my head.

"You're wrong. I want…a forehead protector."

"A forehead protector?" he asked. "That's a pointless thing to buy now, you'll be awarded one when you graduate from the academy."

I looked up at him indignantly. I didn't want to say that it wasn't for me…but I didn't know how else to buy it. Suddenly, something caught my eye. It was dark green and hanging from one of the hooks outside of the cart.

"That!" I said pointing. "I want that!"

Itachi followed my gaze.

"Goggles?" he asked. "I suppose you could use that as a forehead protector…but like I said before-"

"Niisan." I said, then I looked up at him steadily. "It's not for me."

He stared at me for only a moment longer and then he got the attention of the cart operator and asked him to pull the goggles down for me. I handed the cart man the money.

"You need a bit more for these goggles." He said.

I frowned.

"Sorry, Sasuke, I don't have any." Said Itachi.

I bent my head.

"But that's a cute rabbit." Said the cart man. "My daughter has recently been hounding me for a pet."

I looked up at him, not understanding.

"You can keep the cash and you can just trade me the rabbit for the goggles."

My eyes widened. I stared down at my cuddly protector not realizing how or when I'd grown so attached to it but…those goggles were for Naruto. I looked up at Itachi. He faced away from me, hands in his pockets, seemingly uninterested. The rabbit stared up at me. I felt torn but I found myself responding to the cart man. I outstretched my hands.

"His name is…Itachi." I said. "And he likes to eat grass, so please take good care of him."

The man gently grabbed the rabbit and handed me the goggles.

"Thanks a lot, boy." He said.

I held my buy close to my chest in place of the rabbit. We walked toward the south side of the village and neared the lake I had so many happy memories playing near earlier that year. It had been months since I was played with Naruto at the lake so I was surprised to see an outline of a blonde haired boy sitting there at the end of the dock. I paused looking down at him. Itachi stopped too.

"Go ahead." He said.

I looked up at him with raised eyebrows.

"Go give it to him."

I looked down.

"Nii-san…I-"

"Sasuke."

I looked up and he flicked my forehead.

"Stay with him as long as you want, this will be the last time so…be sure to have fun."

I rubbed my forehead, feeling confused as I watched him turn and walk toward the district. The sun was setting. The water reflected the orange and pink sky. I stood frozen watching his ponytail bounce behind his head while he ran off. When I couldn't see him anymore, I let a smile spread across my face and I looked down at the lake where Naruto began to practice boxing out of boredom. I race down the hill toward him grinning with excitement and then I remembered what I had and held the present behind my back. He saw me coming and returned my smile.

"Sasuke! What are you doing here?" He asked.

Then he looked at my absent right arm.

"What are you hiding?" he asked trying to look behind my back.

I stepped away.

"Well…it's not much." I muttered but then I held it out toward him with my head bowed. "It's just…I remember you saying you wanted a forehead protector…you know, to look more like a ninja so people wouldn't pick on you anymore."

Naruto stood staring at the present with an untellable expression on his face. I rushed along.

"Well…I-I couldn't find a forehead protector…so, I just got these goggles for you instead." I said.

Slowly, he reached out and grabbed them and stared at them for a while. I lowered my eyes to the ground feeling foolish. How could I expect him to like them anyway? He wanted a headband…not some dumb goggles. I saw him clutch the goggles and then, before I could read his reactions or respond, he came toward me and grabbed me. My first thought was primal, I feared he was reacting viciously but his arms, which were wrapped around me, weren't hard and threatening, they were soft and needy. He hung on to me and buried his face in my shoulder. I slowly reached up and hugged him back.

"Thank you…" he whispered. "Thank you…"

I felt like he was crying. The little things gave him away…the shiver in his voice when he spoke, the wetness on my shoulder, the slight shakiness with which he gripped me…

I felt something at that moment…something stronger than I'd ever felt before in my life…

It was gratitude. I wanted to turn his thank you around and send it back. I was happier than he could ever comprehend at just having him in my life. Even with his greasy, stringy hair and musty, dirty smell and torn, stained clothing, he was mine…he was part of me. And beneath all of those things, I saw a clean, well-kept boy that smelled like dew and flowers…like the lakeside.

Itachi's Final Gift

Far above Sasuke and Naruto stood a fourteen year old Jounin Uchiha boy. The same boy, in fact, that had told Sasuke he had some other errands to run and would be home later. It was Sasuke's one and only brother, Itachi Uchiha. He watched them with a soft smile on his face, glad that Sasuke had finally found a good friend and also personally glad it was Naruto. A boy who, he knew, had no love, family or home.

Initially, he had no plans to sell Sasuke out at the time. He planned to pretend like he knew nothing about Sasuke's illegal visits out of the Uchiha District to meet this new friend…but then plans changed. Because of multiple reasons, the task of exterminating the Uchiha clan was bestowed upon his shoulders and he realized that if Sasuke continued sneaking out of the District and forming relationships with kids who weren't Uchihas he could learn more than he was supposed to. Sasuke could, inadvertently learn that people were frightened to see the symbol on his back not because it stood for the police force but because the Uchihas were known for being vengeful and seen as a dark and evil clan. If he learned that, Itachi would have no bargaining tool to use to beg the Konoha Elders to allow Sasuke to live. For Sasuke to remain alive, he had to stay innocent and for him to stay innocent, he must remain ignorant, and to remain ignorant…he had to cut off all communication with, not just Naruto, but the outside world as a whole. So, Itachi ratted Sasuke out and Sasuke wasn't allowed to see Naruto again.

He turned his back on Sasuke and Naruto who stood there talking about childish things like games they used to play and new jokes they'd heard.

"Sasuke…" he whispered. "Please, have fun…this is the last good thing I'll ever be able to do for you."

Itachi walked home then, reassured by the knowledge that Sasuke would never come home early if he was distracted by Naruto…

And then, as Sasuke unwittingly climbed trees, practiced back flips and swam laps with Naruto, Itachi killed everyone and everything Sasuke ever knew and loved. Sasuke ran home that night, content and happy, and Itachi stood waiting for him in a pool of their parents' blood. Because of that single moment and day and hour and decision, Sasuke was left completely and utterly alone…

Five years later, Sasuke was assigned to the same ninja platoon as Naruto and their friendship, almost as though it was fate, was revived from the ashes of the childhood Itachi burned down and for the first time Sasuke began to smile again… But it was only for a while, in less than a year, Sasuke gave everything up to destroy the person who he believed had ruined his entire life, his brother Itachi and that time, Naruto decided he wouldn't let Sasuke go again.

The first time, he was young and stupid so he ignored Sasuke and pretended he didn't care about him and for five entire years, they never spoke a word to each other.

But there were inconsistencies in each boy's behavior…

For example, Naruto walked by the lake every day without fail with his dark green goggles positioned perfectly on his forehead, standing as a symbol of protection.

Someone cares about me, the goggles seemed to say, someone doesn't want me to get hurt.

And also, every single day, even in the rain, Sasuke sat on the pier by the lake and tapped his feet along the water watching ripples move hoping that, someday, things would be simple again…simple like…

"So, you really like them, Naruto?"

"I love these!" he exclaimed, fitting the goggles on his head. "How do I look?"

"Really awesome." Sasuke said smiling. "Like a true ninja."

The Power of the Goggles

When Naruto graduated from the Academy, he was given a real-live ninja headband and didn't have a use for his goggles anymore since if he put both on, the goggles would cover the Konoha symbol on his headband. But he didn't stress much about letting them go, after all, he'd be able to see Sasuke every day. Even if it wasn't the same Sasuke who gave him the goggles, it was still Sasuke…it was still the boy he considered for a while the only purpose for his existence. Ultimately, he passed his goggles down to the only boy who was always chasing after him, on that boy's ninth birthday.

"Did you hear me, Naruto-Niichan?" he asked.

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah! Gosh, I did! You said it's your birthday, right?"

Konohamaru grinned. "I'm nine now!" he proclaimed.

"That's great." Naruto said. "But I'm kind of distracted, I have to leave the village right now to find some medicine for Sasuke. It's important."

"What's wrong with Sasuke-Niichan?" he asked.

"Something terrible. He's in a coma, he won't wake up so me and the Pervy Sage are gonna leave and find something to snap him out of it."

"Cool!" Konohamaru said.

Naruto turned to run off but then Konohamaru grabbed his sleeve.

"But don't you have a present for me?"

Naruto paused and pushed his hands into his pocket in thought. His right hand touched something, an object he carried in his pocket everyday without fail since he became a ninja. He smiled, turned it over in his fingers and then pulled it out. He outstretched his hand to Konohamaru with a nostalgic smile on his face.

"What's that?" Konohamaru asked.

"My goggles." He replied. "They used to mean…everything to me. When I was lonely or hurt or angry, they'd make me feel better."

Konohamaru took them.

"So why are you giving them to me now?" he asked.

Naruto grinned.

"I don't need them anymore." He said. "The person that gave them to me…he's around me every day now…and I have a lot more friends in addition to him so, I don't need them. And more importantly than that…"

He touched his headband.

"I have this now."

Konohamaru looked up at him in awe then he took off his gray cap that he wore over his head and snapped the dark green goggles on instead.

"I'll wear these every day, Naruto-Niichan!" he said. "I promise!"

"Great!" Naruto said then he fist bumped him. "Gotta go!"

Konohamaru watched him run away clutching the goggles feeling warmth and love surge through him already.

And it was as though the goggles were whispering:

Someone cares about me... Someone doesn't want me to get hurt...

The End.