Today Naruto decides that life is good. Not all the time, but usually. He has friends, even if they've all changed over time. He's always getting stronger, faster. Tsunade gives him respect, Jiraiya has taught him all the best ways to look at unsuspecting girls, and Iruka still takes him out for ramen. Even if he does disapprove of Jiraiya's influence. Predictably, Naruto decides this while at Ichiraku. Not that this makes his conclusion any less valid – wisdom of the cup and all.
Walking home, he ponders his discovery. He feels more content than he has ever felt except for - well. Except for the times when he felt accepted by his teammates. Almost like he had a family. But now he doesn't even seem to need that. There is a thrumming beneath his skin, like vibrations running through the ground and buzzing his bones. It used to be distracting, especially at the beginning of a battle, but he hardly notices it now.
Naruto stops outside of a grocery store. The sun has completely set, and snow is starting to fall. If he buys groceries they'll probably get wet, but he doesn't want to go home yet either. Through the windows he can see lots of people, mostly just out from work. With the tints on the glass, they almost have a red tint. Naruto goes in wanders absently through the aisles. He doesn't want anything, but the process of searching is comforting. Once the cashier and a few of the older patrons start to give him dirty looks, he grabs a couple sodas and leaves.
As he walks closer to his house and the neighborhood gets a little more shoddy, he takes off his jacket and gloves. People are more likely to mind their own business here. The snow is cool on his skin. Naruto knows that he's changing. He doesn't get cold, needs to eat less, can only sleep a few hours every night. The light catches the air at a certain angle and things change. More and more often, when he looks up at the sun there's a red aura around it. Not all the time, but that will probably happen soon.
He finally feels comfortable now, in the snow. Streetlights glow orange over his head, and the snow is an inch deep on the ground. It sparkles red and orange, like carnelian or something. Naruto knows what gems look like now, and the exchange rates with other villages, and how to properly outfit for missions in other countries. A poor student, he learns what he needs to know. A Hokage can't be ignorant.
The kyuubi's color is like an orange sapphire he saw while defending a traveling jewelry maker. Naruto pulled the mission off without a hitch (for once), and saved the craftsman and the gem.
Naruto wonders what the world looks like through Sharingan. Unlocking his door and putting the cans away, he sees red bleeding into the white light of the fridge. What would it be like to see red always? Would he still want to eat ramen if the broth looked like oily blood and the noodles looked veins? Naruto walks through his empty apartment, brushing the tips of his fingers over the table, chair, and the gashed-up walls. That's pretty much all there is. He doesn't touch the pictures anymore because his claws might damage them.
The contentment he feels, it is not thanks to this house, or to his team, or to his friends. He's had all that before and never had this warm feeling in his chest. Naruto can almost see the fox, rising through a pool of red up to the surface, bringing warmth and a feeling of triumph with it.
But Sasuke choose to leave. No matter what else may be gone, Naruto has a choice. He may see in red, but his eyes are doing the seeing; he may not get cold, but it's still his body and his mind. He may be content, but he refuses to stop searching. Satisfied, he puts on his night cap (but not his pjs because they're too hot) and goes to sleep.