I don't own Naruto
Chapter 1
Two young boys are seen standing on opposite sides of a waterfall. One was standing on his own ancestor's head while the other was standing on a head of a person who was only distantly related to him. The former was Sasuke Uchiha standing on Madara Uchiha's head. The latter was Naruto Uzumaki standing on the first hokage, Hashirama Senju's head.
Naruto had just finished chasing down his best friend and comrade. Sasuke had decided to leave the village to join Orochimaru. Naruto and some of his other friends in the Konoha 12 were sent after Sasuke to bring him back. After each interaction with the enemy a comrade was left behind to combat the threat. Chouji Akimichi stayed behind to face Jirobo. Chouji won the match, but it left him in a critical state. Neji Hyuga stayed behind to face Kidomaru. Neji won as well, but was also left in a critical state. Kiba and his opponents Sakon and Ukon fell into a ravine. Kiba was saved by Kankuro who killed Sakon and Ukon. Shikamaru held off Tayuya while Naruto chased after the newest enemy Kimimaru. Temari showed up to kill Tayuya. Naruto fought Kimimaru and it proved Futile. Rock Lee showed up to take over the fight and allow Naruto to chase after Sasuke. Gaara soon arrived to help Lee. Before Kimimaru could deliver the final blow to Gaara, He died.
Naruto didn't know the conclusions to any of these fights. He was worried for his friends and hoped for the best, but knew he had to push those thoughts aside so he could focus on the battle with Sasuke.
"The hypocrite arrives." Sasuke said as he turned to face Naruto
"Hypocrite?" Naruto asked in confusion
"It means you tell others to do one thing, but you don't follow it yourself. You're stopping me from achieving my dream in life while you still have the ability to chase after your dream. My dream is to kill Itachi Uchiha and then revive my clan. Your dream is to be hokage and protect everyone precious to you. How can you tell me to give up on my dream when you push so hard to achieve your dream." Sasuke said
"You can still revive your clan..." Naruto started
"How could I even think of doing something so stupid. Itachi will just murder the family I create. That is why I must kill him first." Sasuke said
Naruto was at a loss for words. Sasuke was right. He didn't want to admit it though.
"You don't have to kill Itachi." Naruto countered
"I won't be safe until Itachi is dead. He killed my clan and spared my life on a whim. What stops him from killing me. Besides it would be a disrespect to my clan to not avenge them. They were murdered in cold blood and the murderer walks around free." Sasuke said
"Sasuke." Naruto said quietly
"This is the only way. Orochimaru is a Sannin and has given me results already. Itachi was an anbu captain by the time he was my age. How can I catch up, especially since he's had years to get even stronger than that?" Sasuke asked
Naruto was speechless. He had no answer to Sasuke's words. Training harder wouldn't get him anywhere because Sasuke has been training hard all his life since he gained his drive, his purpose to kill Itachi.
"You let nothing stop you when it comes to your dream. Why can I not be the same way? Don't worry Naruto, I'm not turning my back on the village. I'm only gaining power from Orochimaru, so that one day I'll kill my brother. I have no interest in making Konoha my enemy." Sasuke said as he stared Naruto in the eye.
Naruto could see Sasuke's resolve in his eyes. They were the same resolve he saw in his own eyes when he looked in the mirror. Sasuke only wanted to kill Itachi and would never turn against Konoha anymore than his actions have shown. Naruto finally gave up. He knew that bringing Sasuke back now would only cause more problems.
"Why don't you show me the same determination I'm showing you and focus more on your dream to be hokage than me. Maybe one day I'll even call on team 7 for help" Sasuke said as Naruto smirked
"Alright Sasuke, I'll focus on my dream. I'll keep holding my hand out though until you take it." Naruto said as he threw his fist forward in a punch, but then opened it as if he waiting for Sasuke to shake his hand.
The two smiled at each other and then turned to walk away.
"Oh and Naruto, give up on Sakura. Maybe try that Tenten girl." Sasuke said as he continued walking. They both had a flashback of a memory that Naruto treasures.
Flashback After the Chunin exams but before the Tsunade retrieval mission
The Konoha twelve had decided to come together to talk about the Chunin exams and the invasion afterwards.
Before they did that Neji thought it would be good if they introduced themselves similar to how they did when they first joined their Genin team.
"My name is Neji Hyuga. My likes are Soba noodles with herring and my new friend Naruto. My dislikes are pumpkin and arrogant people. My hobbies are meditation. My dream for the future is to live my life my way and not as the caged bird seal dictates." Neji said as he showed the others the seal and gave a brief description.
"My name is Tenten. My likes are Chinese buns and Sesame dumplings. My dislikes are pickled plum and people that are sexist. My hobbies are fortune-telling. My dream for the future is to be as strong a kunoichi as Lady Tsunade." Tenten said
"That's a great dream Tenten. I believe you can do it." Naruto burst out before he could stop himself. This outburst caused the others to look at him with different looks. Hinata was slightly jealous, but her face didn't show it. Tenten was blushing a little, but she kept it hidden, because this was the first person other than her sensei to believe in her dream. Sasuke and Sakura looked confused at his outburst.
"Thanks Naruto." Tenten replied
"My name is Rock Lee. My likes are Curry and Rice( medium spicy), Curry pilaf, and training. I have no dislikes currently. My hobbies are fighting my own way and training with Gai sensei. My dream for the future is to prove that I can be a splendid shinobi without the use of ninjutsu and genjutu." Lee said
"My name is Shikamaru Nara. My likes are Mackerel cooked with miso , Sukonbu, and Shogi. My dislikes are hard boiled eggs and troublesome things. My hobbies are napping, playing Shogi, and cloud watching. My dream is to have a an average life with an average wife and two kids." Shikamaru said
"My name is Chouji Akimichi. My likes are food. I dislike people who call me fat. My hobbies are eating. My dream is to open up a restaurant after I retire from my shinobi career." Chouji said
"My name is Ino Yamanaka. My likes are Cherry tomatoes, Custard pudding, and flowers. I dislike Sashimi. My hobbies are shopping. My dream is to run my family's flower shop when I'm older." Ino said
"My name is Kiba Akimichi. My likes are Beef jerky, Gristle, and Akamaru. My dislikes are food that's not chewy and cats especially Tora. My hobbies are walking and training with Akamaru. My dream for the future is to be the best in my family and maybe on day become clan head." Kiba said
"My name is Shino Aburame. My likes are salad with wild herb, Winter melon, and insects. My dislikes are people that harm insects without reason. My hobbies insect observation and talking with my father." Shino said
"My name is Hinata Hyuga. My likes are cinnamon rolls and Senzai. My dislikes are crab, eel, and the caged bird seal. My hobbies are pressing flowers. My dream is to be a good clan head and to remove the caged bird seal." Hinata said to the shock of Neji.
"My name is Sakura Haruno. My likes Shiratama Anmitsu and Sasuke-kun. My dislikes are spicy food and Naruto-baka. My hobbies are playing trivia and memorization. My dream for the future is to be Sakura Uchiha." Sakura said. Everyone looked at her. Naruto looked hurt, Tenten looked sympathetic for Naruto, and Sasuke looked annoyed. All but team 7 saw Tenten's look.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. My likes are rice balls, and tomatoes. My dislikes are Natto, sweets, and fangirls. My hobbies are training and walking. My dream for the future is to revive my clan and to kill a certain someone." Sasuke said. Sakura and Naruto were the only ones to not catch the jab at Sakura in his dislikes. Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru were the only ones to know who Sasuke wanted to kill. Sakura paid almost no attention to his words, but her eyes lit up when he said revive his clan.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. My likes are ramen. My dislikes are uncooked vegetables. My hobbies are training. My dream for the future is to be the strongest hokage ever to live and to protect my precious people." Naruto said. Sasuke was the only one to notice that Naruto didn't say he liked Sakura. Maybe he was catching the hint she was throwing.
"You're going to have some unbeatable competition in Sasuke-kun for the title of hokage." Sakura screeched
"I think he can do it Sakura. If not Naruto then not anyone in our generation" Tenten said
Sakura didn't respond because she was looking at Sasuke to see his reaction to her statement.
"That's a fine way to thank the person who saved your life." Sasuke said
"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked
"I fought Gaara and was losing. Naruto fought Gaara and won. I didn't weaken or tire Gaara out at all. Naruto fought Gaara with Gaara being at 100 % and Naruto not being 100%. Naruto saved your life. If he didn't you would have died." Sasuke said .
"Really. When we got there you were fighting Gaara." Sakura said
"What purpose do I have to lie for. I'm already irritated that I'm nowhere near as strong as I thought I was." Sasuke snapped.
"Oh ok." Sakura said in response to Sasuke's snap
"I'm pretty sure that you guys won't shun me, so I'll tell you a secret. A secret that will explain how I was able to get stronger in such a short amount of time. The fourth hokage couldn't defeat Kyuubi and he sealed him inside of me instead. I didn't even know until Mizuki told me on the night I graduated." Naruto said to the shock of his friends.
Before Naruto could speak again everyone threw in their comments about how they could see the difference between him and Kyuubi. Sakura was a little shocked, but she said he was still the idiot that she tolerated. Naruto could tell she was teasing, but could see that underneath she liked him. The problem was it would never go as far as he wanted it to. She wouldn't return his feelings. he had a lot to think about. Naruto smiled at their words of comfort.
Flashback end
Naruto smiled at the memory. It made his determination to become hokage grow even stronger. As he walked back to Konoha, he took one last look over his shoulder. Sasuke was long gone, but Naruto felt like he was right next to him showing his support.