He certainly did not want to be found, of that much he was sure. Heart nearly bursting from his chest, Naruto looked down at the vacant dock with dismay, his hope weakening drastically as his search for the Uchiha turned up empty. He was at a complete loss for what to do; his head was aching almost unbearably, his body shaking uncontrollably from all the adrenaline that coursed through his veins. There was a sickening feeling that, if he didn't catch Sasuke in time, he would lose him for good. How could he strike up that conversation so nonchalantly? How could he tell the boy that he was getting a new teacher, and they were going to be separated within a week?

Would he care?

He turned back toward the busy streets of the village with a somber frown. It ached his cheeks to frown, but nothing he thought of could deter him from the turmoil within his mind. Why wasn't it as easy as it should have been? This was supposed to be better for Sasuke and, by the looks of his reaction, Naruto wasn't what was best for him. They needed this, somehow. Sasuke would find a competent teacher in Shikamaru who probably had a lot more to offer than he did. He was a strong jounin that never left himself open like the raven pointed out in the blond. He adjusted his headband to cool his forehead, his body becoming overwhelmingly heated from the rush.

Next time I see him... I'll tell him about it. It won't be that big of a deal. He'll understand. He'll probably be happy…

"Naruto! Is that you?" A distant voice shouted to him from down the street, and Naruto perked his head up attentively, searching for the speaker.

"Iruka-sensei?" He called back to the tall gentlemen that beckoned him to the street corner. "What are you doing here?"

"I was away for a few days with Kakashi and some others on a small mission," he replied with a smile as he ruffled the blond's hair. "I never got to properly congratulate you on becoming a jounin. How about a late celebration? Ramen; my treat."

He could feel the grin widening on his face as he felt more refreshed after coming in contact with his old teacher. He was the only person who could set the troubled blond's mind at ease at this point. "YES!"


Maybe he was being more of a child than he thought. When confronted with the voice of reason he quickly cast it aside in his rage. This wasn't what he wanted.

He stood outside the jounin's door, debating on whether he should approach him or not. Would Naruto be angry with him? He shook his head with a sullen frown. If he was, it would simplify everything, but the fact that he only ever smiled at Sasuke made it that much harder to approach him... Especially when he made that face. It refused to leave his memory.

When he finally had a moment to himself he realized that he actually thought a lot clearer when the blond wasn't around. But distance could not calm what felt like a fire coursing through his body. The thought of him made the Uchiha dizzy and even more confused than he had been before. When he thought about him and what he wanted, everything became distorted to the point where he wasn't sure if revenge was his priority anymore.

His fists clenched once again before he could bring himself to knock on the door. The thought that someone, even for the slightest second, took precedence over his own ideals was absurd, but it didn't make it any less true and that pissed him off. What was this ninja doing to him anyway? This had to be some kind of trick.

He shook his head in defeat, knowing that the blond was too much of a simpleton to hide his true intentions from him. Perhaps he was merely confused at the thought that there was a single person in the entire village that he could believe to be genuine; he was unlike any person he had ever encountered in his life. His life had been torn away from him and shattered into countless unrecognizable fragments that he almost lost sight of what it was like to feel anything other than resentment. But, regrettably, his inexperience with the world and those around him left him feeling more confused than he should have been when it came to Naruto. Was there a name for this?

This is ridiculous. He rolled his eyes as he kicked himself mentally for being so weak-minded. It was dangerous to react this way for every indefinable emotion or situation he found himself in; this was no way to get the answers. Maybe Naruto wasn't being naive, but Sasuke was over thinking everything and things really were as legitimate as they appeared. There was no reason to feel this uncertainty when it was obvious that the blond jounin felt nothing more than an obligatory sense of determination to his student. Nothing more.

Why did it feel like it should have been more?

A few firm knocks against the door seemed to finalize his remaining thoughts as he held his breath for the reply. After a few moments of his own tense silence he realized that he detected no movement from within the house. Did he leave, or just fall asleep again? The latter seemed very plausible. Sasuke allowed himself to breath for a short moment to regain composure before he slowly opened the door. "Anybody home?" No answer.

He took a few steps forward, his eyes scanning the empty room with a bit of curiosity. Where could he have gone in such a short time? Could he have been out looking for him? There was a dry chuckle that quickly died in the stillness as he shook the thought from his mind. Of course not, if anything, he was counting on the fact that he would return. While contemplating on what to do next his eyes roamed the space lazily before resting on the manila folder that sat unattended at the end of the coffee table. Such a small thing was able to cause such uproar and he was clueless as to what it could be about.

He was the subject of everybody's worries and doubts and the Hokage never had any reserve when it came to telling him that. To be deceitful, conniving, and dangerous was all that he was expected to be.

"It's about being better than their expectations of me."

How could he be?

"I've been working so hard to try and make you better..."

Was he really trying that hard? Wasn't that what was expected of him? He covered his ears, trying to silence the man's voice from his head. "This is stupid," he growled with contempt as he snatched the file off the table. "What do I have to be better than this time?"

Termination of Guidance Rights

Student: Uchiha Sasuke

What the hell was this?

Student Transfer Registration

Teacher: Nara Shikamaru (Jounin)

The papers fell to the ground in a scattered mess but he was too stunned to care. Naruto was giving him to another teacher?

Why?


"You seem troubled," Iruka commented as he separated his chopsticks, seeming just as eager as the blond to devour the ramen bowl before him. "Is something on your mind?"

Naruto took a moment to slurp up the steaming noodles, enjoying the warmth that crept through his body with satisfaction. When he paused to think about what had happened at his apartment, his brow began to furrow in deep thought as he tried to get a grip of the issue. Sasuke was being taken from him as a student, and all the progress he thought he made up to that point would be for naught, it seemed. But, at the same time, there was still so much more. Why did this bother him so much?

"Iruka-sensei," he began as he rested his chin against his palm. "What was it like to have me as a student?"

"You were a brat," the man answered instantly, earning a pout from the blond. "I'm serious. You fought with me all the time, no matter what I said. You constantly put yourself in danger and I had to watch you 24/7 just to make sure you were okay at the end of the day. It was a full time job with you."

Somehow, he remembered those days when he was younger, rebelling against everyone just to be noticed. It worked well to worsen the public perception of him, but Iruka was the man who stood by him throughout the years, even when he didn't think he could trust him. Maybe that's what it was like for Sasuke. He suffered a tragic betrayal that left him knowing nothing other than deceit and hatred; it must have been hard to confront someone who was being completely honest all the time.

His stomach became tense as he thought about all the trouble he must have caused his former teacher. The headaches, the arguments, the worry... All of these things have been revived in his student now, and he felt as if he could sympathize with any suffering he must have caused.

"And I wouldn't change it for anything."

"W-what?" He stumbled over his words as his eyes locked into the stern gaze of his teacher.

"You ended up teaching me more about what I wanted in life. You helped me grow up and take responsibility of something, even if it didn't want my help," he added with a wink. "I'm sure once you find out what your student has offered you, you'll be able to approach it with a clearer state of mind."

"Yeah... Wait. How did you know—"

"Just assume I know everything," He laughed as the blond's features shifted to bafflement.

The smile came naturally as he continued to stare at the man he once called his sensei. Even through all the chaos they were able to make such wonderful memories that fueled his hopes for Sasuke and their relationship.

But what was it that Sasuke offered him?

"Yo!" Another familiar voice greeted as Kakashi took a seat to Naruto's left.

"Kakashi-sensei?" He breathed with a raised brow. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing through on my way home. I thought I might find you two here," he replied with a half-hearted thumbs up.

"So, you're on your way back from the hospital?" Iruka asked nonchalantly, making the blond become more attentive.

"Hospital? Were you hurt, Kakashi?" He asked in a brief moment of panic, though he noticed that the silver haired man seemed perfectly fine.

"It was for a visit, Naruto," he clarified before looking to Iruka. "It seems her condition has slightly improved."

"That's a relief," his teacher sighed with a small smile, though Naruto was still at a loss.

"Who got hurt?"

Kakashi remained silent as he looked down at the menu, though it was obvious that he wasn't searching for anything to eat. Naruto looked back to Iruka who seemed hesitant before he spoke. "It seems Haruno Sakura has been making a great recovery. It will come as a relief to all her friends and family... As well as her squad leader," he finished with an apprehensive glance to Kakashi.

One of his team members was injured? "I thought your team was out of commission. How could..."

"Naruto..." Iruka interjected quickly with a nervous tone. "Didn't you... read the last mission report for squad seven?"

"N-no..." He stammered, losing his appetite as his stomach sank to the floor. "I just assumed that some things went wrong and..."

"A lot went wrong," Kakashi stated as he set the menu down. "Sakura had been unconscious for three weeks before she was finally responding to her treatment. She was in critical condition for the first two."

Naruto put a hand to his mouth to try and contain the sudden wave of nausea. "This whole time she..."

What did Sasuke do?

He was unable to finish his train of thought before a hand took hold of the back of his shirt and threw him out of the tiny ramen shop. He slid across the ground before staggering back to his feet. "What the hell—" Before he could finish a fist made contact with his jaw as he tried to remain standing in one spot.

"If being with me was that awful you could have just told me so!" Sasuke shouted, his knuckles red from punching so recklessly.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto snapped, feeling agitated at being assaulted so many times that day.

"You're transferring me after a month?" The raven questioned rhetorically as he spat at the jounin's feet. "I gave you a bit too much credit."

He saw the files? Did he really go back to the apartment?

"Sasuke, I don't have a—"

"You're giving up on me after all that bullshit you spewed about trying to make me better!" He shouted over his voice, causing nearby villagers to stop and stare at the spectacle.

"That's not true!" He pleaded, his heart began to race once more and the thoughts of losing Sasuke made him panic once again.

"I almost believed you!" The boy continued to rant, displaying an outburst that Naruto had never seen before.

"I almost believed you!" Naruto couldn't contain his own burst of rage as he grabbed the Uchiha by the collar. "I thought that you were trying to change to become better! It was supposed to be a conscious effort from both sides!"

"Who says I wasn't trying?" The raven snapped as he wretched free from the blond's grasp, turning to leave the scene behind.

"How many times have you visited her?"

He halted immediately, whirling around to face Naruto with an unreadable expression. "Who?"

"Sakura! Your teammate! Your friend!" He enunciated every word to instill his own vision of what it meant to have an ally. "She... She's been in the hospital all this time... Because of you... Hasn't she?"

"I thought you didn't care to know about this," he muttered as he turned to walk briskly down the street.

"I didn't! But when I find out by chance, I learn that this problem didn't just fade as a mistake from your past. It's happening right now!" He shouted, trying his best to keep up with the boy as he reached the outer dirt road that ran along the lake. It was quieter here, with fewer eyes, but it still did not ease his discomfort. "Isn't there something about that situation that seems wrong to you?"

"What the hell do I care anymore?"

"No! No! NO!" he bellowed as he reached out to grab the raven's arm again. "This is not you Sasuke! This isn't what you want!"

"What do you know about what the hell I want?" Sasuke countered as he tried to pull away. "You know what I want, what I am willing to do to satisfy my ambitions."

"What did you do to her that justifies your ambition?" The question came out as a dry gasp, his chest constricting his lungs so tightly that he was starting to feel dizzy. This was needed, in a way. If there was one last thing he could do for him he could at least make him realize his own mistakes...

"It was an accident!" Sasuke screeched as he finally tore away from the jounin once again just to stumble to the ground. "I didn't think it would... hurt her so badly..."

Naruto stood stiffly, at a loss for anything more to say, paralyzed within the distressed gaze.

"We were ambushed. I had the target in my sights even though Kakashi told us to remain in our defensive formation around the man we were escorting... I didn't listen... I thought I could do it on my own so I broke the formation..."

"... And you left her without support."

"They got by me somehow! I didn't think they'd go straight for her!" He beseeched the blond as he buried his face in his hands. "No one expected me to care... So I didn't..."

Naruto sank to his knees, making no sudden move to run away or even speak anymore. Sasuke couldn't stand that look anymore! The feeling that he had disappointed him made his heart throb so painfully he was sure it was about to burst. He hadn't thought it all through; he didn't know that something like this would upset him, but he should have. Why wouldn't something like this push Naruto to become hysterical?

"Please... Don't look at me like that," he whispered as he covered his eyes once again. "It's... Irritating."

"You were supposed to change..." Naruto mumbled weakly, his shoulders slumping over as he leaned toward the ground.

I tried... I'd do anything to get you to smile at me again... That's different to me. The sad truth of the matter was that he was changing in so many ways that he thought he was being stretched far beyond his emotional limits. Strange feelings burned from the inside and he didn't know how to deal with it when Naruto looked at him like he was some sort of monster.

"I think I did..." His answer came in a stuttered breath as he peered at the blond through his fingers. "I think I—"

"Don't." Naruto shook his head as he heaved himself to his feet. "I can't... I don't know what to do anymore..."

"You're giving up on me?" Sasuke asked, his stomach clenching at the thought.

"How could I?" Naruto answered as he began to back away. "I put everything on hold, and even so I still didn't want to let you go. But I had no choice. I wanted to do something for you that impacted you somehow, do something that could change you... But all you ever do is fight me and suspect me of lying to you... I think it's more than obvious that I can't do anything to help you."

That's not true!

"Naruto."

"You can relax for this week... Because now I have nothing left to surrender..."


A/N: I was watching Scream 2 while I was editing this... I don't think I've ever laughed so hard while editing in my life XDDD

Ciao~