A/N: Well, since the first chapter was so well liked, I decided to continue the story even though it was originally meant to be a one-shot. Because of that, I don't really like this chapter as much as the first and it's not as long.

Since you got to see Naruto's views on his exile, this is Sasuke's.

Also, this chapter is dedicated to Nordic Angel for being my first reviewer as well as for putting up with the strangeness of my...*ahem*...inspirational moments...Thanks again!

Disclaimer: -pulls out random drawers- Nope. No liscense to own Naruto. Darn.

Warning: More depression. More implied SasuNaru.

Chapter Two

Why? Why did he continue to pursue him so relentlessly? What gave him the strength to be so unwavering in his belief that he could convince him to return to the village after so many years had passed?

He had been so cruel in his attempts to cut all their ties, had even tried to kill him. And yet…he continued to follow, to almost beg him to come back.

Sasuke couldn't do it. No matter how much he wanted to—because he did want to—he could not allow himself to go back until he had killed Itachi.

…Or so he'd told himself. One look into that deadening stare, into those beautiful blue eyes that were once so full of life, and he knew he had to do what the dobe was asking, pleading of him. He had to go home.

When he returned, he had not expected the greeting he received. Whereas a normal S-Class criminal would have been locked up or executed upon return, he was welcomed with open arms.

That was not what he wanted. He did not want to be welcomed; he wanted a reason to leave again, a reason to leave without hurting the dobe once more. If the villagers hated him to the point of running him out of the village, then Naruto could not chase after him, beg him to return to a place so hateful.

But that was not the case. He had no reason to leave.

As the days passed, he felt emotions directed towards the blonde swell in him, ones he had vowed to rid himself of. They were a weakness, one that he could not possess if he hoped to ever defeat his brother. So instead of facing these feelings head-on, confronting them, he turned a cold shoulder and ignored them, avoiding Naruto to the point of ridiculousness.

And he watched. He watched from the sidelines as the village grew crueler towards the innocent blonde, and those eyes grew duller. Sasuke noticed that he didn't laugh as much, and when he did laugh or smile, it looked forced or strained. At least, to Sasuke it did.

But he still chose not to intervene, despite wanting to do so. Why hadn't he? He often asked himself that. Why hadn't he stopped what he saw was coming? Naruto, having nothing else to do in a village that despised him, immersed himself in his training. He worked until he would collapse, rest until he could just barely move again, and then start over.

Why hadn't Sasuke stopped it? The boy was working towards a bleak future. Sasuke knew that he had all but given up on his dream of being Hokage. It was there, in his defeated posture, his lifeless eyes, his unnervingly quiet demeanor.

Before he knew it, two years had passed and he was seated in the Council room, watching Naruto's trial—if it could be called that. The Elders had gotten anxious; they had seen what Naruto was capable of, and perhaps they feared that the boy would try to take revenge on the village who had tormented him since his birth for something that was out of his control. And that's precisely why Sasuke believed that this wasn't a trial—it was a damnation, because the outcome had already been decided before the defendant could give his side of the story.

Even though he knew this, Sasuke felt no worry. He knew that Naruto would not give up without a fight. He would struggle for all he was worth and find a way to weasel his way around the system, like he always did. He always managed to get himself out of the toughest situations with apparent ease and Sasuke had always envied him of that.

But something was not right. Instead of the loud and obnoxious argument he had expected to hear, there was…silence. Absolute silence on the blonde's part.

What was going on?

Sasuke stared incredulously after the retreating figure that allowed himself to be lead away by the Ambu, never once struggling in their grasp, never once letting out even a meager protest.

That was when the first signs of panic began to claw at him. He was leaving. He, Naruto, who would have dragged Sasuke back to Konoha if need be, was leaving. Leaving his home, leaving his friends, leaving Iruka, the only father he'd ever known. Leaving Sasuke.

No, he wouldn't allow that to happen. And yet…Naruto had just allowed it. Who was Sasuke to stop him from leaving if that's what he wished to do? Sasuke, who was cold to him even when they could have been considered friends. Sasuke, who tried to kill him at the Valley of the End and then later. Sasuke, who had ignored the blonde even upon return. The blonde who, without knowing it, had been Sasuke's one beacon of hope, of light, in the darkness that had consumed him.

He would be nothing more than a selfish bastard if he were to interfere now.

Call him selfish.

Resolved, Sasuke returned to what was once his home, a place bustling with life and activity but was now nothing more than a ghost town.

He had made up his mind: he would go after his blonde, just as he had come for Sasuke all those times.

As I said before, I don't like this chapter as much as the first, so I made it so it can end here and you readers can decide if Sasuke catches up to Naruto or not.

Well, I always appreciate a little constructive criticism and/or your opinion on my story or writing style in general!

Also, I apologize to my readers, who I may have mentioned continuing this story to. I have no inspiration for this. I actually had a third chapter for this made up but I hated it so much that I just deleted it. Unfortunately, I have found that, though I really like this style of writing, it's very hard to maintain it when putting any action/relationship development in it and I just felt that it was lacking something. Again, I apologize to those of you who expected more chapters. I hope you continue to read any future works that I create and post. I am currently working on one that I feel a strong liking for and I hope to have it done BEFORE publishing this time so as to release chapters in a timely manner. Hopefully.

That is all that I have to say for now.

~Rider~ out.