Disclaimer: I own nothing, damn it all. I don't own Naruto, belongs to Kishimoto-sensei.
In times of sorrow
There is always a tomorrow
In times of pain
There may be a relief
Today may be that day
Full of sorrow
Full of pain
But relish in the time
When tomorrow comes
Chapter 12
Naruto felt a chill go down his spine and looked out the window of the Kazekage's villa. Gaara, Lee, Chouji, and Shikamaru were going over details that they had to take care of for the weddings. Temari and Ino had headed out with Kankuro to get away from them and take a break. Plus Ino wanted to look around the village, since she would be here for weeks.
Naruto couldn't help but feel a knot twisting in his stomach, in his chest, something was wrong. He hated being so far away from the village that he couldn't sense anything going on there. He couldn't help but to worry about Sasuke, even though he knew he could take care of himself, especially now. That didn't make him invincible.
Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts, but the feeling didn't lesson when Shikamaru called out to him, "Naruto, hey pay attention."
Naruto turned to regard Shikamaru and noticed that they were all looking at him. Gaara had a expressionless look, but Naruto could see that hint of concern in his blue eyes. Lee looked worried and Chouji was glaring at him as though Naruto had ruined a good moment.
Naruto scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously, "Sorry, I guess I'm just worried."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at him and shook his head, "There's nothing to worry about. The village will be fine without us there, there is plenty of capable ninja there right now."
Naruto nodded with a grin and a laugh and then all of them fell silent when a bird landed on the desk across the room. They'd gathered around a table to give them more room to work. Gaara stood and walked over to the desk taking the letter from the bird and opening it.
Naruto noticed the slight wince from Gaara and the room fell into a tense silence. Gaara took a moment to find the words to say what the letter had said. He turned to Naruto, knowing from experience that Naruto would understand his line of thought, and the words better than most in the room, other than Lee.
He locked eyes with Naruto, "The village was attacked."
Those four words were enough to make Naruto's blood run cold and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself, to stop the thoughts that would run through his mind. He nodded, "We have to go then."
Gaara nodded and looked at the the leaf ninja sitting at his table. Shikamaru got to his feet first followed by Chouji and Lee. Lee looked at Gaara and Gaara nodded curtly. Lee smiled and then walked over to Naruto and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "Let's go then oh fearless escort."
Naruto relaxed from the cheerful tone of voice and opened his eyes with a grin, "Yeah."
Gaara nodded to Shikamaru when he looked over his shoulder at him. Chouji set out of the building first intent on finding Ino while the other three headed towards the inn to gather their things.
Shikamaru grabbed only his pack and wrote a quick note to Temari as he headed out of their shared home. When he met up with Naruto and Lee Temari and Kanakuro were there waiting for him.
Temari embraced him and then pulling away said, "Be careful, and come back soon you lazy ass."
Shikamaru smirked and nodded, "Yeah, I will."
She kissed him lightly on the cheek and stepped back. Kankuro grinned, "Be careful, guess we will have to postpone the festivities for a while."
Lee smiled brightly and said with enthusiasm, "It will only be a little while. We will be back in no time."
Ino sighed and then turned and walked hand in hand with Chouji out of the village. Naruto followed dragging Lee behind him as he smiled and waved to Temari and Kankuro. Temari turned once she could no longer see them and looked up to see Gaara standing on top of the Kazekage manor watching them leave as well.
In a moment Temari and Kankuro were standing next to him. Temari put an arm around Gaara's shoulder, "Don't worry lil' bro' they will be back."
Gaara glanced at her and said simply, "Sasuke Uchiha was taken. Hyuga and Inuzaka were killed."
Temari went pale and Kankuro and her exchanged glances. They knew Gaara hadn't told them because it would distract them during their travel back. Temari felt Gaara shudder and she knew he was worried about his best friend, she was worried as well. Naruto had seemed so happy lately, now that Sasuke had returned and they were together. He wasn't going to take Sasuke being taken so suddenly lightly. She worried what it would do to him, worried if they would ever see him again. She wondered how her brother would take it if Naruto was never seen again, he would definitely go after the Uchiha, that she, Gaara, and Kankuro knew was certain.
Another thing that concerned her was Lee's reaction to the death of a team mate he had always competed against. That would effect Lee and therefore effect Gaara, their connections with Konoha and the Leaf Nin there had become something to be treasured and they had gained loyal friends they could trust and a sort of family with them. Naruto was what had brought them all together and the glue that kept them that way. She hoped that they wouldn't lose such a treasured friend, in her brothers' case, a needed, valued friend that had changed his life. As much as she wanted her brother to be happy, she hope Sasuke was alright for the sake of Naruto.
It took them three days to get back to Konoha and when they arrived they were in shock at the state of it. Naruto was entirely silent, he had a sick feeling that something terrible had happened and when they were greeted by Shizune and Tsunade that feeling only grew. Why wasn't Kakashi or Sasuke greeting them, where was everyone, what the hell happened?
Tsunade walked up to him and he swallowed at the sorrowful look in her eyes. He pushed down the immediate thoughts and waited for her to speak.
"We need to go to the Hokage tower so I can inform all of you of what has happened."
Naruto gulped and they followed her to the tower in silence, taking in the damage of the village. One fifth of the village was reduced to rubble, trees, the ground, the homes, it was all devastated, destroyed. With each step Naruto felt a weight getting heavier in his gut, his stomach twisted and the knot in his chest tightened.
They finally arrived at the tower and Naruto was pale, all of them were. They hadn't seen any of their friends or family members on the way and they were all feeling sick with worry. Tsunade walked over to the desk and took a seat which made Naruto tense, Where is Kakashi-sensei?
Tsunade took a deep breath and Shizune stood next to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"As you can see," her voice was a little hoarse and she cleared her throat and started again.
"As you can see, we have a lot of damage. The death toll is high, mostly civilians. Two of our well known shinobi were killed, they had engaged in battle with the immediate threat and lost their lives."
Shikamaru was the first one among them to find his voice, the rest were still in a state of shock and worry. "Who were they?"
They all knew that she hadn't said who they were straight off because it was someone they all knew. She nodded sadly and continued, "Inuzaka Kiba and Hyuga Neji."
They all went pale and Naruto tensed and swallowed trying desperately to find his voice. Tsunade continued before he could say a word, fortunately.
"There were a lot of injured, injured from the after shocks of the forbidden and advanced jutsu of Madara Uchiha. Among the medic nin and shinobi trying to protect and save the civilians many were severely injured."
Naruto had gone even paler, his naturally bronze skin had taken on an orangish color and Tsunade looked worriedly at him. Naruto took a few deep breaths, trying to stop his brain from going through what she had said. His mind was telling him the reasons Sasuke wasn't there to greet them. He'd either been seriously injured or Madara had succeeded in taking him . . .
Shizune was at his side when a wave of nausea hit him and forced him to his knees. Shikamaru, Lee, Chouji, and Ino gasped and cried out his name. Naruto tried to stop the short breaths, he was starting to hyperventilate. Shizune rubbed his back soothingly and her warm hand infused with healing chakra eased the clenching around his lungs and heart. He finally managed to calm down and thanked her as she pulled him to his feet.
Tsunade nodded to him, "I assume you have come to a conclusion as to what has occurred here Naruto."
Naruto nodded, but he couldn't find it in himself to speak. Shikamaru then asked, "What of the others, can we see anyone, will you tell us how bad off everyone else is?"
Tsunade sighed, she looked exhausted, nearly looked her age in her exhaustion. She gave a curt nod, "I wish to speak to each of you privately. Shikamaru, you remain here first and the rest of you please step out into the hall. I will give you the news that I can and answer your questions to the best I can."
Shizune escorted them to the door as Shikamaru stood in place and looked to Tsunade. Once Shizune closed the door and walked back to stand at Tsunade's side Tsunade sighed.
"Nara, I will tell you most of what is going on as I will need your help."
Shikamaru nodded and she continued, "Our current Hokage is recovering still. He strained his Sharingan, used it too much. It is slowing down his recovery since his chakra was very low, dangerously low from his fight with Madara Uchiha. Uchiha Sasuke had been the first to engage in battle with him and fought him until he finally left. It wasn't until I arrived shortly before Madara left that I noticed he'd taken Uchiha with him. The majority of our most talented and strongest shinobi were severely injured and we are at a very vulnerable stage right now."
Shikamaru nodded, "We should send word to Suna about our position and inquire their assistance."
Tsunade gave a nod and a slight, tired smile, "Hai, this is why I will need you to assist me. You are able to think clearly in such a time. I am sure the Gaki will snap out of it, but he won't take it lightly and when he does, he's going to be severely pissed. That is why I will need you to assist me. It will be a while before he's in his right mind."
Shikamaru sighed, "Tsunade-sama, right mind or not, he will pursue Sasuke. That is . . ."
Tsunade nodded, "I am fully aware of that and I have no intentions to stop him. Both of those boys worked very hard to get to where they are today and I don't expect less from Naruto. I would be disappointed if he didn't pursue Sasuke-kun."
Shikamaru smirked and then changed the subject, "How badly wounded are they?"
Tsunade sighed, "Well, some will recover physically in a few more days. Kakashi is in bad shape and he may recover in a few weeks or months, it hasn't been determined yet because he still isn't conscience."
"But, the others that will recover in a few days will be suffering mentally and emotionally. Even with experience from the war, having your home attacked is still hard to deal with. Loosing loved ones is another thing entirely. To suffer both at the same time, it will be a while. Which brings me to my last point."
Shikamaru tensed, he hadn't seen that his home had been damaged, so what was she getting at. She smiled sadly at him and Shikamaru staggered back for a moment and closed his eyes.
"Your parents."
Shikamaru sighed and said calmly, despite how he felt, "You had said earlier that we only lost two."
Tsunade nodded, "I wanted to tell you privately about your parents."
"Both of them, anyone else?"
"Yes, and most of you with parents. The Hyuga's were among those to survive, with the exception of Neji. They were among those killed because of the after effects of the jutsu. Madara had infused a river of electricity that drained your chakra and cooked you from the inside upon touching the ground. That had been what took Neji and Kiba's lives."
Shikamaru swallowed the lump in his throat and turned without thinking, he needed to get out of the room, find some fresh air. Shizune walked up briskly behind him and opened the door for him. The others stood and looked at him as he stepped out of the room and Chouji was at his side in a flash noticing the paleness and sickly look on his best friends' face. Chouji put his hand on Shikamaru's shoulder and said softly, "Shika?"
Shikamaru shook his head slightly and turned away, Chouji following after him. Ino raced after her former teammates. Then Lee turned when Shizune said his name. He nodded with a smile and followed her inside the room. Naruto sunk down to sit on the floor, leaning back against the wall and hitting his head on the wall a few times before deciding to just hang his head.
Lee walked out of the room pale as a ghost and looking like he was on the verge of crying. He turned to give Naruto a said smile and turned and walked calmly down the hall. Naruto got to his feet and jumped when a loud crash was heard and felt the ground shake beneath him. Then Naruto heard the cries of Tenten and a angry yell come from Lee.
Naruto jumped when Shizune spoke next to him, "Naruto-kun?"
Naruto turned to her and followed her back into the room. He stood before Tsunade and she had a grim look on her face. She looked at him sternly and said in a serious tone, "I want you to make a promise to me Naruto before I fill you in."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at her, and she glared, "You have to promise me that you will wait until your friends, teammates, and comrades have recovered. You will also wait until the memorial and both weddings have taken place before you leave."
Naruto sighed heavily and focused his gaze on the ground, So Sasuke was taken, that's why she is making me promise not to leave right now.
"Tsunade-sama, I don't know if I can wait that long. I will wait here until everyone has recovered physically, and at least until the memorial for those who lost their lives . . . but the weddings could be postponed forever and I have already lost plenty of time . . . "
Tsunade stood up and slammed her hands on the desk making him jump and then meet her glare.
"Naruto Uzumaki, you have obligations to your friends and family here. I know you want to go after him, I really do know how you feel. But he can take care of himself. He was the only one that stood half a chance against Madara and he stopped him from destroying this entire village. He can survive until you can get to him. You don't know if you will come back alive, no one does, and you don't even know whether you will come back if you can. I know this, because I know you. I want you to at least make amends and pay your family and friends the respect they deserve before you leave. This is not up for debate. Wait until then and I will not try to stop you from going after him. I had no intention to in the first place gaki."
Naruto sighed, "Fine."
Tsunade sat down, "Promise me."
Naruto took a deep breath, "I promise. I will wait. But you have to promise not to stop me."
She nodded, "I promise."
He turned to leave, his hand stopping on the door when she said softly, "I'm sorry Gaki."
He nodded and left, closing the door quietly behind him. He walked down the hall and then the stairs, passing a huge hole in the wall. He continued and headed for the hospital. He would find out for himself how everyone was. When he walked inside the hospital he was shocked at how many people were running around, the nurses, doctors, and a few visitors were frantic and Naruto swiped the register list from the unoccupied desk at the nurses station.
He scanned the list and quickly memorized the room numbers to the patients he knew. Then he put the clip board back and headed to the second floor, he would see Sakura first.
He walked all the way to the end of the second floor hallway and slipped through three double doors to get there. He was taking advantage of the frantic state of the hospital and managed to slip into the small isolated room where Sakura was. He felt tears sting at his eyes to see her pale, limp form lying in the bed of white.
He left the light off and made it to her bed with just the dim light of the lamp on her bedside table. She had a oxygen mask over her face and her heart monitor was beating steadily. She was in a deep sleep and though her wounds were healed, he could tell she had been in really bad shape.
There were a few minor cuts here and there on her arms and her face that he could see. But he knew she would be able to heal them when she was feeling better. He knew that Tsunade had just healed the major injuries, with so many to heal, she needed to preserve as much energy as she could. He touched her hand, it was so cold, he held her hand in his and brought her hand to his lips kissing it lightly.
She gripped his hand and he looked up at her face to see her slowly opening her eyes. She whispered his name under the mask and he smiled softly at her, "Rest Sakura-chan, you're going to be okay."
She gave a slight nod and let her eyes close, a small smile on her lips as she let herself drift back to sleep. He knew she had to be exhausted, she would have most likely been healing others before she had gotten hurt. Sakura probably continued even with serious injuries, she was stubborn like that.
He leaned over her and kissed her on her forehead brushing her hair out of her face and quietly stepped away from her bed. He walked over to the door and smiled at her over his shoulder, "I will stay to make sure you will be alright Sakura-chan, but I don't know how much longer I can wait."
He opened the door and walked out into the hall then closed the door silently behind him. He saw Hinata's father and her younger sister across the hall silently exiting a room to his left. He nodded to them when they looked over at him. They nodded back and then headed back down the hallway.
Naruto took a deep breath and waited until they couldn't see him before he walked over to Hinata's room and eased inside. He closed the door quietly behind him and took in a sharp breath when he set eyes on Hinata. She had bandages over her eyes and bandages on both forearms. She had an oxygen mask over her face and her lungs and heart were both being monitored. He felt a lump in his throat at the sight and walked over to her bedside.
He'd always felt protective of her, she was one of the first to ever believe in him. She'd always believed in him, even before everyone else had. The crush she'd had on him, which had taken Sakura pointing it out, had made him truly consider her as a girlfriend before he and Sakura had dated and then he'd found out he wasn't all that interested in girls. Then Gaara had happened and he'd found that he was in love with his best friend Sasuke . . . Hinata was sweet, kind, she was a true friend and he really valued her confidence in him and friendship.
Kiba had become a close friend as well, and knowing what it felt like to be without the one you loved, knowing what it felt like when you thought you'd lost them . . . he felt pain for her when she found out. The thought of her crying broke his heart, she was just so sweet and kind that it hurt to think of her crying and feeling that heartbreak.
He sat down in the chair next to her bed and took a deep breath, "Hinata, I . . . I believe in you too, when you wake up and you hear about Kiba . . . I will try to be here for you. I know you will be able to make it past loosing him . . . and that you will be able to move on."
Naruto placed his hand on top of hers and made to leave, her hand turned under his and grasped his hand firmly. Then the faintest whisper left her mouth, "Thank you Naruto-kun."
Naruto smiled softly and nodded squeezing her hand gently and then pulling his free. She then whispered, "I . . . I-I know . . . I will . . . because I had y-you as a . . . role model . . ."
Naruto smiled and took her hand placing a small kiss on her hand and then said softly, "Get some rest Hinata-chan."
She gave the slightest nod and he turned and walked away, he closed the door silently behind him and headed towards the room close to the double doors. He knew that it was Kakashi's room. He walked in to see Iruka sitting in a chair beside Kakashi, his eyes puffy and red from crying. Naruto felt stinging in his eyes but blinked back the tears. He couldn't cry, he wouldn't, he didn't know if he would be able to stop once he did.
He closed the door softly behind him and walked over to stand at Iruka's side. He had a bandage over his left eyebrow and his right arm was bandaged as well. His right leg was in a cast and the crutches were leaned against the wall within arms reach of Iruka.
Once Naruto had reached Iruka's side and put a comforting hand on his shoulder he finally took in the state Kakashi was in.
His right eye was bandaged and his skin was paler than usual. Naruto could tell his chest and stomach were bandaged and his blood pressure and heartbeat were a little higher than usual as well as his breathing. Naruto stood there in silence, not really knowing what to say to his father figure.
Iruka sniffed and brought up his left hand to wipe at the tears on his face. He placed his right hand over Naruto's and said softly, "He used the Sharingan too much, he's lost the ability and probably the sight in his right eye. His wounds were serious and because he used so much chakra . . . he couldn't be healed right away . . . Tsunade-sama said that he would have to wait for his chakra to recover some to be able to make a true evaluation . . . "
Naruto nodded numbly, That means he really won't be able to continue being Hokage, without the Sharingan and from the sound of it, damage to his chakra flow . . .
"I'm sorry Iruka-sensei."
Iruka squeezed Naruto's hand, "I don't care, as long as he lives."
Naruto nodded, "Hai, are you going to be alright?"
Iruka nodded, "I will be fine, just a few minor cuts and bruises, my leg was broken, but it will heal with time."
Naruto nodded again, "Hai."
Iruka looked up at Naruto over his shoulder and squeezed his hand again making Naruto look at him.
"It's going to be okay Naruto."
Naruto grinned sheepishly, "Yeah, it'll be okay."
Iruka looked back at Kakashi with a frown, "He'll be alright Naruto."
Naruto didn't know which one he was talking about, but he assumed Iruka was talking about Kakashi. "Of course he will, he has you to come back to."
Iruka smiled softly, "Thank you, but I was talking about Sasuke."
Naruto nodded, "Yeah, he'll be fine, he's a stubborn bastard."
Iruka sighed, "Naruto."
Naruto stepped back, hearing Sasuke's name was starting to upset him. He smiled at Iruka, "Don't worry about Kakashi-sensei too much, and be sure to take care of yourself as well."
Iruka watched Naruto walk over to the door. Iruka then called out to Naruto, "He'll be fine Naruto, he's strong."
Naruto nodded and whispered, "I know, but you can only be strong for so long."
He walked out and closed the door softly behind him. Then he walked down the hall for a bit before stopping and leaning back against the wall. He covered his face with his hands and took a few deep breaths, he was exhausted from hurrying back to the village and now with everything going on . . . he shook his head and stood up pushing off the wall. I am not going to do this here.
He made one more stop, he went to see Konohamaru, he was sleeping peacefully in his room and his two friends informed him that he'd just been given some pain medicine and had fallen asleep for the first time in three days an hour ago. So Naruto went on his way and thanked them for telling him that he would be fine.
He then headed towards the training ground to stop and think before deciding to head towards his apartment. He really just went through the rubble until he came across the scrolls of his and Sasuke's he rounded them up and managed to fit them into his pack, mostly. He did have to carry a few and stopped along the way to get a bag to put them in. He then remembered the photo albums and took another bag and headed back to try and collect the pictures and photo albums. He only managed to find one after spending the remainder of the day looking for them. It was a photo album of the past year between him and Sasuke.
Pictures of times when Kiba had dragged the two out with Sakura, Neji, and Hinata to the pubs they were barely legal to go to. There was another picture with Team Seven and Iruka. Then he came across a picture of Sasuke in a black kimono, with him standing with his arm around Sasuke's waist wearing a bright orange kimono. Sasuke was scowling, but it was still a gorgeous picture, Sakura's wedding. Then there was a picture of Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Temari, and Tenten from the wedding. Sakura had gone with a simple white dress while the brides maids were all wearing slender red dresses. Hinata was blushing darkly and Temari had her arm around Sakura and Ino's shoulders.
He smiled to himself at the next picture sitting down on the rubble that used to be his apartment. It was of all the guys, minus Gaara and Kankuro. Other than Lee, Naruto, and Neji, they were wearing black kimono's. Lee wore a dark green kimono and Neji a white one. Neji and Sasuke stood next to each other with their usual stoic expressions, even though Naruto stood behind Sasuke with his chin on his shoulder and his arms wrapped around his waist and a huge grin on his face.
Next to Neji stood Shino with Kiba's arm on his shoulder and sporting a toothy grin. Shikamaru stood next to Chouji who had a arm over his shoulder, both were smiling, though Chouji had the brighter smile. Lee was in the nice guy pose with an arm on Juugo's shoulders. Later that night, Juugo had promptly disappeared after saying to Sasuke that the bushy browed guy was freaking him out. Naruto had never heard Sasuke laugh out loud like that with such humor, it had really brightened up his entire day to hear that laugh from Sasuke.
Naruto smiled a little more at the memory and jumped down from the pile of rubble closing the photo album. After spending hours looking for what he could salvage of their possessions, he would have to settle with the scrolls and photo album he'd found. He adjusted the pack on his shoulder and headed towards the tower, he'd have to find a inn to stay at or he would demand Tsunade let him take the spare room next to the hokage office, since she usually slept on the desk.
Luckily for her, he found a decent inn that had a spare room and didn't cost too much. He didn't keep all of his money with him on missions, not with Sasuke home most of the time. He sighed and with heavy steps walked up to his small room. Once inside he locked the door behind him and walked over to the bed, he put the bag of scrolls on the floor and then the bag of what clothes and pictures he'd managed to come across. He then took off his pack and set it down as well and sat down on the bed and opened the photo album again.
He crossed his legs under him on the bed and looked at the picture after the last one. This one was of him and Sasuke sitting at the training grounds, both worn out and exhausted, it was from one of their days training together, only a few weeks ago. The training grounds had been turned into a crater and Kakashi had told them to repair it by hand. It had taken them two full days to complete the task.
Naruto smirked, Sasuke had nearly beaten him to death for that. He looked at the picture next to it, this one was of him, Sasuke, Juugo, and Kiba standing outside the pub again. There was a slight color to Sasuke's cheeks and he was standing next to Sasuke, who was leaning against him. Naruto smiled, Sasuke had absolutely no tolerance for alcohol at all. He'd only had close to four mixed drinks and some sake and he was completely wasted. Kiba and Naruto had a drinking contest that night and then Juugo had drank them under the table.
Naruto couldn't help but be jealous of Juugo at times, he knew how to make Sasuke laugh and the two were friends but Naruto really didn't know all that much about him. Juugo had told him about Kuro, and why he and Sasuke were good friends. Juugo still had the curse mark and he depended on Sasuke to keep it at bay. In return Juugo often did whatever he could to help Sasuke and was fiercely loyal to him. Naruto had suspected that they were more than friends but Juugo had told him straight forward that he was very much straight and didn't see Sasuke that way. Not to mention that Sasuke had been adamant that no one would touch him in that way besides Naruto himself.
Naruto smiled softly at the thought, Sasuke was waiting for him, and he was the only one the Uchiha wanted. In the past year Sasuke had really grown a lot. He smiled more often, but it was only when he was around Naruto or Juugo. He laughed, and Juugo helped Naruto figure out Sasuke's sense of humor. He was complex to tell the truth, but when you went through a war with someone, you learned a lot about them. Sasuke had a reserved sense of humor and it took a lot to get him to laugh, but he seemed to loosen up when he was drinking. The smiles were few and far between and each one was earned. He hated the lovey dovey stuff, but Naruto had gotten Sasuke to say he loved him at least three times, two of those times had been when Sasuke had first come back to the village. The next time had been after a particularly dangerous mission on Naruto's part that he couldn't avoid. The night he returned and they'd made love, or as Sasuke referred to it, fucked each other raw, he'd said those three words.
After that Naruto wasn't so pushy about hearing the words, he'd just wanted to hear them because he couldn't read the subtle signs Sasuke gave him. That was another thing Juugo had to walk him through, especially since Naruto was too oblivious to notice the simple, nice things Sasuke did. Like cleaning the apartment, organizing things, making miso ramen when Naruto returned from a mission.
Sasuke had even wrote him a note once, when he'd had to leave really early in the morning on his previous mission. The note had said for him to be careful and don't stay gone too long. It had startled the hell out of him, he never expected that from Sasuke. After all, he was still a cold, sarcastic, arrogant, bastard most of the time. His attitude only ever changed when he was asleep or drunk. But Naruto preferred that over the depressed, emotional, and broken Sasuke that had first come back with him. In the past year he'd managed to help Sasuke get back to his old self and he was happy to see him close to his old self.
A few months ago they'd touched on the subject of Orochimaru and that had brought about a distant and silent Sasuke. It had taken Naruto a full two months to get Sasuke to talk to him, to open up to him at all. The monotone voice he'd had while he told Naruto about his experience with the snake had scared the hell out of him. Naruto had been right on the mark about what he'd suspected and it was Sasuke's pride and drive that got him through those two years.
Sasuke later confessed that he'd always thought he was going to break between the experiments and the snake's obsession with him. But the reason he didn't scar was because Orochimaru was still set on Sasuke becoming his next vessel and demanded Kabuto never allow Sasuke to scar.
The first year had been training and small advances, mostly trying new drugs that Kabuto forced him to try since Orochimaru always made him train until he was utterly exhausted. By the mark of the second year things progressed and Kabuto's experiments had begun to lessen. Then after the night Orochimaru forced himself on Sasuke, that was it, Sasuke swore he would kill the snake and carefully watched his cycle.
He'd killed him on his weakest night and had fled, not wanting to be there any longer. Then he'd set out to find the original curse mark, trying to find a way to get rid of it. He'd set free Suigetsu and Juugo, and Karin had come along because she was infatuated with him.
He ignored her most of the time and only used her when he needed her ability to distribute chakra. Suigetsu became valuable as he used to be a mist nin, but when he broke his rule and killed innocents, he'd left him there and Temari had ended up killing him. Karin had been killed during the war by Sakura, but Sasuke felt no resentment since he understood that if Sakura had killed her then there was good reason. Naruto had told him it had been out of jealousy and the fact that Sakura hated the way Karin clung to Sasuke.
Sasuke had thought that was funny and he'd laughed, but then said it didn't matter because he found Karin more annoying at times than both Ino and Sakura in their fan girl days. Naruto couldn't help but wonder about Sasuke's sanity, but then Sasuke had explained that Karin had been the guard watching over one of Orochimaru's prison and it was her insight that really led to him bringing her with him.
Other than that, Sasuke didn't value her life anymore than he did Suigetsu's because she had a thirst for blood to begin with. Juugo could be cold and heartless, but it mostly happened if he lost control, otherwise he was kind hearted and fiercely protective of those he cared about.
When Kuro joined the two, he'd reminded Sasuke a lot of both Itachi and him. Kuro had been quiet and reserved until he'd gotten comfortable being around them. He was always silent around Juugo, but when it was just him and Sasuke, he could talk forever.
Naruto had been caught off guard when Sasuke said that even though he'd gained a brother he ended up missing him even more. Kuro dropped the quiet, reserved act when it was just them and he laughed and became obnoxious. He'd managed to get him to loosen up some and laugh, and before they knew it they were just like brothers. They competed and Kuro made it a mission to get Sasuke to laugh or smile once every day. He was cynical, sarcastic, and easy to get along with.
Sasuke had sadly said that he could have pictured him and Naruto getting along really well once they got to know one another. It had hurt to hear the pain in Sasuke's voice, and Naruto had really wondered about this Kuro guy. For a while he'd felt really out of place considering that Sasuke had another life than he did during the war, he'd made friends and had a new brother that he'd cared for like a brother and he'd been on the battlefield fighting for his life.
That was until Sasuke's next confession, the real reason he'd been the way he was when Naruto found him. What he'd seen, done, and been through during the war was so much different than what Naruto had been through. Naruto hadn't noticed all the losses right off, because he was too focused on trying to survive and defend who he could.
But Sasuke had seen it all, he'd seen children slaughtered and not been able to stop it. He'd heard the screams of women and the elderly, he'd seen women and their children ripped to shreds, violated, and tortured slowly to death. But considering that he was gathering information and they were looking for him because the enemies knew someone was lurking about, he couldn't stop them. He would have been ambushed, and then Madara was hunting him as well, even before he'd located his scrolls and given them over to Konoha.
He'd had to watch an entire village be burnt to the ground, it hadn't even been a ninja village. All the women, children, and elderly had been locked into one building after they were forced to witness the ninja slaughtering the men of the village and burning down their homes, ruining everything they had of their village. Then the building had been set on fire with them in it, he'd heard the screams, could smell the burning flesh for weeks like it was seeped into his skin.
Naruto had been at a loss for words when he'd asked why they'd done it and Sasuke had painfully told him that they were killed because they'd been seen giving him food and supplies for him and his comrades. It had been weeks of running and fighting and they'd run out of supplies. That had been the first and last time he'd ever asked for help, all those villagers lives were on his conscience, it was a heavy burden to bear. One Naruto wasn't sure he would be able to live with.
He'd seen comrades die, knew death from that bloody battle field, he and Sakura both had seen the life fade in others eyes. But to have that our your conscience, to live with that guilt . . . it made his heart clench even now.
Then Juugo had come along to talk to Naruto since he was at a loss of what he could do to help Sasuke . . . Juugo had listened patiently and quietly as Naruto gave him a summary on what Sasuke had said to him. Naruto had been uncertain about confiding in Juugo with secrets Sasuke shared with him, but every time Juugo always offered more details that helped Naruto to better understand the pain Sasuke felt. What Sasuke had not told Naruto was that he had a tie with that village that had been burned to the ground. It had been right after the death of Sasuke's brother Kuro and he and Juugo were injured and in need of medical care and shelter. During their time there, which had actually been a few weeks, though Sasuke had only been conscience for a short amount of that time, Sasuke had inadvertently become close with a small child in the village.
She had clung to Sasuke and he had been an ideal older brother figure for her. It had given Juugo a better understanding as to what exactly Naruto himself meant to Sasuke and the influence he'd had on the raven. The compassion Sasuke had, as well as the over protectiveness he possessed for the little girl had been endearing.
Her name had been Ari, her mother had chosen the name because of the young girls boyish attitude and her thirst for life. Juugo had said that she had attached herself to Sasuke's bedside from the begining, her mother had been the caregiver. Sasuke had tried to keep a distance, but she was persistent and she broke through his defenses with a simple smile.
Sasuke allowed the little girl to call him Nii-san, which Naruto had found startling to say the least considering what that name had come to mean with Sasuke and the symbolism it held towards Itachi. He had even gone as far as to teach her the basics of being a ninja, which she was driven to do, and promised to recommend her to the best Shinobi village he knew, Konoha.
Naruto felt his heart swell with love for Sasuke after hearing that and an entirely new view came to him through Juugo's rendition of that village. He now understood why Sasuke couldn't bring himself to talk about that. But he also came to a better understanding as to why Sasuke left, that little girl's death had been the final straw. Sasuke had opened his heart, had made himself vulnerable, and then he was hurt yet again by something he couldn't control.
Naruto knew that Sasuke would, did, tell himself otherwise. He knew that with Sasuke's pride he blamed himself for that little girls death and the slaughter and murder of her family and the other villagers. He also gained a new level of respect for Sasuke after that as well, he knew that if he were in Sasuke's position, if he had been through everything Sasuke had been through and felt the agony of heartbreak, of losing those you care for, time and again, he wasn't certain he would be willing to open his heart to someone let alone continue living himself.
Naruto closed the photo album and set it on the bedside table. After everything the two of them had been through, after an entire year of getting Sasuke back on his feet, a year of bringing Sasuke back to life, he refused to loose him now. He would find him and he would slaughter Madara if he hurt him, if he caused Sasuke more pain. He'd been through enough. Naruto removed his ninja gear and carelessly set it on the ground.
He would make sure everyone here would be alright, he'd promised Hinata he would stay here and try to be there for her. And he would never abandon Sakura or go back on his word to Tsunade. But this time, he didn't give a damn about the council and their regulations, he would leave the village with the promise to never come back if that is what it would take to get to Sasuke. He wasn't going to let him go again, no matter what.
Naruto curled up in the bed and let his eyes close, his mind on Sasuke as he drifted into a restless sleep.