"How is he?"
"Physically? He's fine. Mentally, well, he hasn't said a word."
"Well, considering what happened..."
The two doctors gave each other a look, expressing their concern over the child's mental health. Alas, there was only so much they could do, given that no adult was his guardian now. A somber survivor of a massacre. The one leaving without any help. The Uchiha. Sasuke. The second son of the head family.
He had been distant, though no one could blame him. He was all alone.
No one had wanted to let him leave the hospital, but ran out of time to hold him.
He returned to the academy, seemingly numb to the world. Everyone kept their distance.
It was fine with him. It let him think about what he would need to do in order kill his elder brother. To be better than him.
"It's not so bad," a voice broke him from his thoughts. His dark eyes narrowed in on the owner of the voice. A dirty, blond he had seen before in the village and academy. His shirt was torn and his cheek was swollen. But his lips were quirked upward in a smile.
"It will get better," the boy muttered to himself. Sasuke watched as the boy seemed to brighten.
"Hey."
The boy looked over and beamed at Sasuke. His blue eyes were bright and full of energy. He opened his mouth to speak when another yelled over him.
"There you are you brat!"
The blond's smile disappeared and he took off in a wild run, faster than Sasuke had seen any other kid run as the man who yelled chased him. Sasuke blinked in confusion as he tried to register what had just happened. He brushed it off initially. But it seemed everywhere he went, he saw the little blond boy. And he saw the boy smiling through everything thrown at him.
Smiling like a little kid. An innocent, naïve, little kid. Like a little brother.
Sasuke was unsure why he thought that. But he didn't, absolutely abhor the idea. There was something about him that made Sasuke feel he could do just about anything. Maybe it was the carefree smile despite the fact he should be crying like any other kid probably would. Well, he had been crying, but he... He stopped. He stopped himself from crying.
Why did it stick with him? Was it because he reminded him... Reminded him of life before? When Itachi had been his parents' pride and joy? Something he resented, mainly from his father. Never thinking he could be good enough.
He wanted to be better than Itachi. He wanted to beat him. Beat him in everything.
Everything.
And whoever the blond boy was, he could help him with part of his plan to get better. Better than the prodigy Itachi.
Sasuke went through mental hell after Itachi massacred his clan. He was all alone. He could have isolated himself, revenge being all he could think about. But the next day, after slipping out of the hospital to begin his obsession of beating his brother, he runs into Naruto Uzumaki, and sees what he lives in day in and out. Something that day makes Sasuke's obsession, warp. After all, Sasuke wanted to beat Itachi. Kill him even. But he wanted to beat him in everything. Could he beat him by being a better big brother?
Rule 1. Sasuke is still an "Emo" kid.
Rule 2. Naruto is still Naruto.
Rule 3. Members of the village notice and either enjoy seeing this little relationship, or are terrified of it.
Bonus: Sasuke has overprotective tendencies.