Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the original characters mentioned.

Author Note: I would like to thank everyone who added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I want to congratulate jdanielle46, Kyurengo and Zhang Yuan for guessing Sasuke will be in the chapter but the encounter would be indirect as you will see in the chapter.


(Three years ago)

Is it going to be worth it?

Sasuke leaned his body forward and gazed at the blood that was slowly soaking his best-friend's jacket. His hand hovered and tears almost burned through his eyes but the 13-year-old boy only rubbed his eyes. Even if no one can see my tears, I can't cry right now. I made my bed. His hands trembled with remorse and it was not long before he ripped a part of his white pants.

I have enough time before I have to go to Orochimaru. He inhaled and unzipped Naruto's orange jacket. Black eyes fixated on her black shirt, noting that one part of her shirt seemed to be digging in. It was wrong of him to do this but Naruto was bleeding extensively. He pushed her shirt up and propped the girl up. Not once did he allow his eyes to look down at her chest.

It was wrong of him.

"C'mon Bastard, you know you wanna build a snowman with me and Hinata-chan!"

His throat clogged up and the rain began to pour down on them. It dribbled against his cheeks, almost like it was trying to sooth him but no amount of rain could destroy the throbbing ache in his heart. I really went too far…we went too far this time. He had been lucky enough to dodged the Rasengan and to stop himself from aiming at her heart.

I nearly killed her.

No matter how many times he repeated those words to himself, the reality still didn't sink into him. Bile and vomit rose up to his throat as his black eyes took in the torn muscles of Naruto's chest. Steam erupted from her chest and Sasuke stared with furrowed eyebrows as the wound slowly healed. Will it be enough to stop her from bleeding? He hoped so.

He hadn't meant to go this far with Naruto.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke muttered, tying the knot around her chest before sliding her black shirt down. The whiskered-haired girl did not reply and he didn't expect her to answer him. If she lives through this then I have a lifetime of making up to do. His heart throbbed and screamed as Naruto let out a little whimper. "But I have to make you hate me, Naruto. You will never leave me alone if I didn't try to hurt you."

His voice sounded hoarse against his own ears and his heart cried in agony. It was wrong. How could you do this to her? His lungs burned and Sasuke rubbed his eyes, hoping and praying for the ache to go away. This had been the right thing to do. It had to be done because…

He couldn't drag Naruto through this.

It was a long time before he pulled himself back up. Taking in a deep breath, he gently lifted Naruto up in his arms and dragged her closer to the monument of Hashirama Senju. Sasuke placed her underneath the space between the First Hokage's legs before looking up at the dark clouds looming before them.

Even though he couldn't heal Naruto from the wound he inflicted on her, Sasuke could at the very least prevent his best friend from getting a cold.

"The Akatsuki are going to be after her, Kakashi. Itachi is a part of that group and with her current level, I'm afraid she won't be strong enough to handle them. You can focus on Sasuke but give Naruto to me."

Kakashi and Jiraiya believed he had been asleep when they discussed about their plans for his friend, but he had been wide-awake when he heard them in the hospital bed. That helped solidify his decision of going to Orochimaru. I have to be stronger than Itachi…I have to destroy them before they try to hurt Naruto. That had been one of the main reasons for going to Snake Sannin.

Kakashi was strong but he had been so easily defeated by his brother. Sasuke knew from their history lessons that out of the three Sannin that Orochimaru had been considered the strongest. If I want to kill Itachi then I have to go to Orochimaru. If I want to get rid of the Akatsuki then I have to do this. He rubbed his eyes and took in another breath.

"I wanna cry but someone told me that I don't have any right to cry because Mikoto-obaachan wasn't my family." He felt his heart groaning with pain as pained blue eyes flashed before his eyes. If this continued on then it was going to be even more difficult for him to go to Orochimaru. It was already difficult for him to drag his legs away from her.

But if the memories kept replaying then he was never going to leave her.

"You are still too weak."

He had to get stronger and kill his brother, even if it meant leaving behind the one person that reminded him of those happy days. We are always going to be the best of friends, right? The words mocked him and Sasuke closed his eyes. It was going to be worth it if it meant that Naruto was going to be safe.

She could hate him for doing this but this was the best way to protect her.

"We can defeat Itachi together, Sasuke!"

Naruto couldn't be dragged into his mess.

"I know you are never going to forgive me, Naruto," Sasuke said, looking down at the sleeping girl. He raised his hand and only for that moment, he allowed his hand to comb through her golden hair. He should go because if Naruto came then it was going to be a matter of time before Kakashi come here. "But if you are going to be safe then I have to do this. I have to be strong enough to kill Itachi and all those bastards who are after you."

He lost his parents, his clan but he couldn't bear to lose Naruto or any member of their team.

That throbbing sensation of pain inside of him would turn into an open wound if Naruto died.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto but you can call me, Naruto!"

He blinked as the image of a bloodied Naruto was replaced with the image of a smiling 5-year-old Naruto. Hopeful blue eyes stared back at him and Sasuke would always remember how mesmerized he had been with her hair. Mom, I think Naruto's hair remind me of the sunrays! It is that binding. His mother offered him only a sad smile and told him…

"Naru-chan is a very pretty girl, isn't she? She already has you wrapped around her little finger, doesn't she?"

It never dawned upon him what his mother meant until he felt the bowels of regret when Naruto stared at him with eyes filled with betrayal over what that Ami did to her. Mom scolded me for not defending Naruto and he told me that I shouldn't care what Father thinks. The damage had been done and it took them a long time to reconcile from his foolish belief that the teacher wouldn't be stupid enough to believe Ami.

He exhaled and looked down at Naruto.

"You will never stop chasing me if I didn't do this."

It was better for Naruto to hate him because if Naruto continued to care about him, then she was going to get herself killed. She was always the type to sacrifice herself. She was always the type to put others before herself. She would never focus on her training if she ever believed for a moment that he didn't want to go to Orochimaru.

She was going to chase after him and that would make it easier for his brother to capture her. He couldn't let that happen. I don't want to lose Naruto. I don't want to lose the one person who reminds me of home. His hand caressed her cheek for the final time, lingering on her whiskered birthmarks and then Sasuke pushed himself up on the ground.

The black-haired boy took one last look at Naruto and stared at the bright blue skies, before letting out a bitter laugh.

At the age of 13, Sasuke knew that the chances of his best-friend and his first love forgiving him was low. The path that he chose for himself meant that Naruto was never going to look at him because he hurt her too much. Naruto was not stupid to love someone who hurt her this much. He knew that and a part of him wondered if things could have been different if his parents had been alive.

He would never know but a part of him would always wonder of the possibility.

Leaving behind Naruto had and would always be the hardest thing that Sasuke had ever done because every step that he took away from Naruto was another stab to his heart.

Three years later, Orochimaru ordered him to check up on Kabuto because there had been no word from him. He went to Japan and a selfish part of him wanted to check up on Naruto, to confirm what the grey-haired man told him about Naruto. A huge part of him knew that he didn't deserve to know or feel pain on the knowledge that Naruto was dating someone else.

(He knows it was inevitable because Naruto was easy to love, but it didn't make the pain go away).


"Mind explaining to me why you have been smacking Dog Breath?"

Naruto handed the cup of tea to Hinata before taking a seat on the chair. The customer's chatter filled the empty silence between them as her best friend took a sip of her tea, pale lavender eyes not revealing any emotions. Naruto wrinkled her nose. Great, her best friend was going to take her sweet time to explain the change in demeanor.

She probably should have asked yesterday but Kiba was within ear shot and the boy seemed to be completely dense over the fact that Hinata liked him. Are all boys dense? Naruto picked up her smoothie, sipping on it as pale, lavender eyes continued to inspect her with blank eyes.

"Kiba-kun told me to smack him whenever he acts or begins to show signs of being a sexist or thoughtless jerk," Hinata explained. Naruto blinked and blinked before spitting out her drink. The stream of banana smoothie smacked her best-friend's face, turning her friend's pale complexion to a banana tone. "I probably should have waited for you to drink before I answered."

"You can't blame me for spitting out my drink!" Naruto grumbled as Hinata picked up her napkin. "I knew it was weird for you to smack him but why the fuck would he ask you to hit him?"

Hinata sighed and wiped her face before giving her a small grimace. "He thought that words won't be enough to drill it into his head, so he wants me to hit him and then inform him why he got hit."

Did his Mom drop him when he was born because that is the weirdest thing I ever heard. Naruto licked her chapped lips before taking a sip of her smoothie. The banana flavor brought out a tickle of delight to her tongue and made her let out a sigh of content. With a hard day of training alongside working on her feet, it felt like a reward to have this wonderful drink.

"I can't believe your boyfriend is a masochist, Hinata-chan," Naruto commented with a sly grin. "It seems like Dog Breath likes the idea of you taking the lead in the relationship."

Her best friend spluttered and coughed before flushing a light shade of red. The table behind them grew quiet and the whiskered teen turned her head around to find several boys gawking at them. She flashed them an apologetic smile and then furrowed her eyebrows together when the buzzed-cut boy gazed at her with confusion.

"Naruto-chan!" Her best friend cried, pulling her hoodie down. Naruto felt her lips curled into a smile when the Hyuga Heiress poked her fingers together. "Do you really have to say that? Kiba-kun is my friend, not my boyfriend!"

The blonde leaned her body forward. "Sure but he is the friend that you have been crushing on since we were six."

Hinata smiled faintly and just stared at her for the longest time with fond eyes before looking away from her. Naruto frowned when her eyes noticed the smile fading into a frown and how those happy eyes turned into pained eyes. Father will probably arranged my marriage. Worry crept up to her stomach and the blonde gulped down the sudden lump that formed in her throat.

Our duty to our clan is far more important than any dream and wish that we ever had.

Was her best friend really going to go through this path even if it meant she could never be truly happy.

"Hinata-chan, did your father already arranged your marriage?" Naruto dropped her tone and her smile faded as she reached her hand out to her best friend. Hinata averted her eyes and looked down at her hands. The whiskered teen bristled. "Hinata-chan, are you really going to marry a stranger when you don't have any feelings for him? Are you going to keep your feelings for Kiba in a bottle for the rest of your life?"

Hinata flashed her a wobbly smile and looked out to the window. "It will be a matter of time before my father will find someone within the clan who he deems is acceptable for me."

"And you are going to go through with it?" Naruto asked, dropping her jaw slightly. Her throat burned and clogged up while her whole body trembled with rage. She clenched her jaws together and curled her hands into a fist. "Hinata-chan, you have every damn right to marry someone outside of the clan! You should marry someone that you love! Not some stranger!"

Her best friend smiled slightly and twisted her head away from her. Naruto watched with heavy eyes as her best friend tried and failed to smooth her face into that emotionless mask. The slight reddening of her eyes alongside the little wobble on her lower lips brought out a stabbing sensation to Naruto's heart.

If anyone deserves to love who they want then it should be Hinata-chan.

"It is better for me to go through it then Hanabi-chan," Hinata declared evenly. Naruto tightened her jaws as her best friend picked up her tea cup with trembling fingers. "I might not love my future husband but I can learn to love him. What I want is selfish compared to the needs of my family and I'm not going to let my little sister continue with the training that my father put on her."

Naruto appraised her best friend. "But you are going to go through hell again, Hinata-chan. You know how most of the men of your clan kept looking down on you because you don't like hurting people! How can you even be certain that Hiashi is not going to pick some jerk?"

"Well I have to hope for the best, Naruto-chan," Hinata commented with a slight smile. "I made my peace with it."

The whiskered teen shook her head and thinned her lips. "If you made your peace with it then you would have told Kiba that you liked him. You wouldn't be looking at him with longing eyes when we ate together during dinner. You think I haven't seen you sneaking glances at him? Hinata-chan, you have to tell—"

"—He doesn't like me in that way," Hinata said with a calm tone.

Are you sure? Because I think the dense boy likes you back. She scratched her head and leaned against her chair. The older boy always listened to Hinata-chan in some way and form. His eyes used to follow Hinata-chan so didn't that mean he liked her in that way? Then, there was the fact that Kiba had never once called her by any demeaning names.

Hinata-chan always had the honor of never being called bitch or any of the other rude names that Kiba had for some of the other girls.

"Have you even tried to confess to him, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked softly. "I don't think Kiba really understand when a girl likes him unless she makes it painfully obvious to him."

Hinata's lips quirked into a sad smile and the blonde only lowered her head. There had to be a way for her to help her best friend. Some way that could just guaranteed that her best friend could have the courage to confess before she decided to go on that sad path. But the only way I can think of, is for me to spell it out to Kiba. That would be wrong.

This was Hinata-chan's business and it would be horrible for her to interfere, but how the hell did you get a dense idiot to realize he liked his teammate?

Should I try and get Kaminari to flirt with Hinata-chan? I mean he is the flirt in the house and Katsuki is never going to flirt with Hinata-chan.

Her fingers tapped against the table and her whole body froze as a tickling, cold sensation washed over her. The bell rang and the door slid opened as a new wave of customers flooded into the café. Is he here? Am I imagining things? Black eyes flashed before her eyes and Naruto turned her head around.

She surveyed the room and noted down for any familiar faces. In the corner was Amajiki and Togata alongside Nejire. The three of them waved at her and her female senior blinked at the sight of Hinata-chan. Ah, I should introduce them after the exam. I think Hinata-chan will get along with Nejire-chan. She flashed them a slight smile and mouthed the words: talk to you later.

Hinata-chan needed to be warned before she met the ball of energy that was Nejire.

Shaking her head, she continued to scan through the room. There were a few new faces. Most of them were teenage boys, who had their eyes either fixated on her and Hinata-chan or looking at the other female waitress glidding through the room. Naruto paused when her blue eyes met brown eyes.

Guilt flashed before those eyes and then it faded to nothing as the white-haired boy took the menu from one of her collegues.

I am really losing my mind if I thought Sasuke was here.

"Naruto-chan?" Naruto jerked her head up and offered a sheepish smile to Hinata. Her best friend thinned her lips and flickered her eyes to the boy that, until just now, caught her attention. Hinata paused and the grip in her best friend's hand tightened to the point that the handle cracked with the pressure. "Do y-you know that boy?"

"Which one?" She tilted her head.

Her best friend pointed to the brown-haired boy. "Do you know him?"

"No but isn't it weird that he is giving me those eyes?" Naruto asked with a tilted head. "Y'know I had the strangest thought that Sasuke was here but that's silly, isn't it? Why would he even come to Japan? Maybe that chakra signature was just a coincidence, don't you think? I mean I can sense another one right next to that bald teen."

Her best friend curled her lips into a tight smile. "It is just a coincidence."

If you really thought that it was a coincidence then why do you look as white as a ghost? The question wanted to tumble out of her mouth but it seemed to be stapled inside her throat. Naruto inhaled and picked up her banana smoothie as she felt the pair of brown eyes continued to observe her.

Observing her even when she could feel the waves and waves of guilt roaring out of him. You will stop me if I do anything stupid, won't you? Naruto frowned. Why did that memory came to her mind? Why now? The date hadn't approached yet. That memory always came out in November.

Right now they were in August and so far she didn't feel that crippling sadness creeping inside of her.

A person cleared their throat and Naruto jerked her head up. She tilted her head to the side, ponytail dangling and tickling her ears, as a pair of passion-filled eyes gazed down at her. He is really tall. The boy looked like he could be her age but his whole body length seemed to be twice her length.

"Can I help you?" Naruto asked, curling her lips into a half-smile. "If you want me to take your order or get your bill then I will—"

"No!" The buzz-cut boy screeched. His voice boomed in the café and the loud chatter died down as several pairs of eyes turned their attention onto them. "I just have a couple of extreme questions to ask you, Uzumaki-san!"

"Do I know you?" Naruto asked, furrowing her eyebrows. She blinked and then tilted her head when a black-haired boy slithered his way to meet them. The boy had black hair and had a bored expression as he stood beside the boy. Violet eyes gazed at her for the longest time without any emotion before darting his eyes to Hinata.

The black-haired boy cleared his throat. "I apologize for Inasa's rude introduction, Naruto but he seemed to find it hard to believe that we are related alongside…other things."

"Yeah, you have an extremely pretty smile and Inei-senpai doesn't have the same extremely fiery passion that you have!" Inasa declared. Naruto gawked at him while Inei threw an exasperated look to the younger boy. Wait a second, did this guy say that we are related? Blue eyes widened slightly as Hinata flickered her eyes between them. "You and Inei-senpai don't look anything alike."

"And like I told you, my mother is her mother's cousin," Inei stated with a flat tone. "You shouldn't be bothering Naruto while she spends time with her friend. Just because you can't believe the rumors or that my own cousin confirmed it, doesn't mean that you have to interrupt her break time."

Inasa bristled and bobbed his head. "I know that it is extremely rude but I want to hear it from her!"

"Hear what from me?" Naruto asked, rubbing the back of her neck. Her stomach rolled around with nerves and she felt her palms moistened as more and more people pushed their chairs around to gaze at her. Is it about the video? I already had some customers talked to me about it while I was doing my shift. She cleared her throat. "Mind telling me what you wanna ask me?"

The buzz-cut boy scrutinized her and curled his lips into a frown. "Are the rumors about you dating Endeavor's son true?"

Oh. Naruto cleared her throat and shifted back and forth as every male in the room looked at her with eager, hopeful eyes. When did those rumors started? And why did they have to identify her boyfriend as Endeavor's son? Because they can't ever see him as anything but his father's son until he becomes an actual hero. She inhaled and curled her lips into a tight smile.

"Y'know Endeavor has three sons," Naruto reminded him. Whispers broke out and blue eyes locked onto the tall boy standing right in front of her. She smoothed out her irritated nerves and took in a deep breath. "So you have to be more specific on which one of his sons that I'm dating."

From beside her, Hinata frowned and regarded her with concerned eyes. If Hinata-chan knew half of the shit I knew about Shouto then she could understand why I don't like it when someone refer to Homeostasis as that man's son. Her boyfriend might be Endeavor's kid and he might have some of his traits, but it was wrong of them to identify him in that way.

He was a person with his own identity.

"Todoroki Shouto," the boy clarified. "Are you really dating him?"

Naruto tilted her head, ready to nod but paused as a wave of hurt stroke down her spine. Too much hurt. The hurt radiating from that particular person seemed ready to drown her. She wanted to find that person and demand to know why the answer was hurting them. Taking in a deep breath, she flickered her eyes to Hinata.

Her best friend had her attention locked onto the brown-haired boy and seemed to have shifted her attention onto Tamaki. Pity and empathy colored her friend's eyes alongside irritation. Why is Hinata-chan acting this way? She pressed her lips into a thin line and mentally shook her head at the question.

Not the time to ponder over her best friend's weird behavior.

"Yeah, Shouto is my boyfriend," she finally answered with a fond smile playing on her lips. Inei bobbed his head and turned to give a triumphant look at Inasa. Naruto frowned and arched an eyebrow at him before turning around to look back at the frowning buzz-cut boy. "Why do you wanna know if I'm dating Shouto or not?"

The black-eyed boy just gawked at her. "Because I wanna know how a extremely nice, warm person like you is dating a jerk like him!"

Irritation bubbled in her blood and Naruto felt her eyebrows twitched as everyone darted their eyes between them. He is a customer! He is a customer! You know not even you can get away with punching a customer for being rude. She knew it. But her fingers itched to hurl a punch at the asshole. She squinted her eyes against the beaming sunray falling down on them and exhaled.

"Have you ever talked to Shouto? Do you know what type of person my boyfriend is before you make that kind of accusation?" Naruto demanded with balled fist and tightened jaws. Hinata eyed her and then flickered her eyes to the crowds that were now beginning to circle them. The boy blinked and took a step back while Inei pinched his nose. "Because if you knew what kind of boy, Shouto was then you would know that he is anything but a jerk!"

The boy stilted his eyes at her. "I don't think you really know him for you to say that, Uzumaki-san."

I think I have more right to make that call then you.

When she had been through one of those depressive episodes, he didn't abandon her. He didn't make her feel like crap about herself. Not once did he ever make her feel like her feelings didn't matter. There were so many things that could be used to describe her heterochromatic-eyed boyfriend but a jerk was definitely not one of them.

"I think you are the jerk," Naruto declared evenly with her blue eyes focused on the boy. "I don't know what Shouto did to give you that impression but if you are judging him from the Sports Festival or whatever bullshit…then you are an asshole for judging someone from their first appearance."

She paused and then felt bubbles of laughter threatening to come out of her lips as the irony dawned upon her.

I never did say sorry to Homeostasis for calling him an asshole when we first met, didn't I?

It seemed like she had another round of apologizes to do and a whole set of questions to ask Homeostasis because it was a wonder how he ended up liking her when she had been a bitch to him.

But first she probably should make his favorite food before making an apology to him.


"Hinata, you have been on edge since I came and picked you up from Naruto's part-time job."

Hinata blinked and stopped in her steps as Kiba stared at her with concern shining through his brown eyes. Her friend had his arms wrapped behind his head. A frown played on his lips while Akamaru barked at her. Am I obvious? She flickered her eyes to the window, staring at her blank-faced reflection.

It must not be that obvious if Naruto-chan hadn't noticed.

"Have I been on edge?" She asked, turning her whole body around to face the windows. The smiling faces of the mannequin greeted her and her eyes lingered on the pale brown dress resting on the child mannequin. I should buy that for Hanabi-chan. It would definitely suit her little sister but then again it would be dirtied before the end of the day.

It would be better for her to try with one of those sports shops. The clothes seemed to suit her sister's outgoing personality then any of those lovely dresses on display.

"I had to stop you from hitting a light pole just now!" Kiba cried, pointing to the light pole behind them. Hinata jerked her head and rubbed the sides of her head as her brown-eyed teammate placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. He turned her around and looked down at her with a frown. "Hinata, you are the last person to not notice something that big! Naruto and me are more likely to bump into a light pole than you!"

Her heart thundered against her chest as guilty brown eyes flashed before her eyes. I'm certain that it is him. His appearance was different, nothing like his actual appearance but she knew that look. She watched him and Naruto interact with each other. A part of her felt that connection and empathy with him for loving people who were too dense to realize their feelings.

Fond, loving black eyes flashed before her eyes and Hinata clenched her jaws together.

"Sasuke is here."

Childish laughter echoed between them as children waved at each other before running down the street. A smiling blond-haired girl waved her hand at her before tugging on the hand of a black-haired boy. The image changed. Whisker marks appeared on the girl's face and that black-haired boy's hair grew longer. Black eyes staring at the girl with a devotion and care that used to make her smile.

He really loves her.

The image faded when Kiba tugged on her sleeve. Frantic brown eyes looked down at her and Hinata looked down at the floor. He made his bed and Naruto-chan is with someone that can show his love to her. She smoothed down her expression and straightened her agitated feathers before looking back at her teammate.

"Hinata, are you really certain that he is here?" Kiba hissed, wrapping his hand around her wrist. Tingles and sparks of delight exploded from her wrist but the blue-haired girl ignored the sensation, only pressing her lips into a thin line. Dark cookie brown eyes studied her for the longest time, lingering on her shoulders before sweeping back to her eyes. "Is he really here?"

Hinata gulped down a lump and bobbed her head. "He might have a henge on him but I know Sasuke and the way he looks at Naruto."

A faded memory played before her eyes of fond, loving black eyes peeping at the sun-kissed blond hair of her best friend. His lips curled into a slight smile whenever Naruto taunted one of the girls for being in love with him. She could practically see his hand reaching out for her best friend, only to come back to his senses. His black eyes would always scream—

I can't show my affection or else those girls will make her life more miserable.

Well that had always been her interpretation of why Sasuke spent most of his time, not interfering with Naruto's fights with those cruel girls.

"What do you mean…wait, are you telling me that he have been crushing on Naruto since that time?" Kiba flayed his arms and gawked at her while Akamaru whimpered. Hinata lowered her hood and looked up at the golden rays of the falling sun as brown eyes continued to stare at her. "Hinata, the only way you could know how Sasuke looks at Naruto is if you have been watching him since the Academy! Was that rumor true?"

She sighed. "Kiba-kun, Naruto and Sasuke have been the best of friends before I even entered the picture."

They did a wonderful job of hiding their friendship but hints had been there throughout their time in the Academy. Whenever Naruto called out to Sasuke to compliment her or how the blond-haired girl just knew how to get Sasuke to play with them. She was the only person he would play with. None of the other kids could grab his attention like Naruto-chan.

"I thought it was a recent thing because they were on a team," Kiba admitted, furrowing his eyebrows together. "So that rumor was actually true? Sasuke had a crush on Naruto since we were seven? All those girls were trying to imitate Naruto's hair length weren't insane to think that he liked her?"

Hinata nodded. "It had been obvious since the first day of the Academy that he really liked her. Have you never noticed that only Naruto could get him to play with the other kids? Or that he would be extra brutal with you whenever you hurt Naruto-chan's feeling."

"I thought he was being an ass," Kiba replied, shrugging. "How the fuck was I supposed to know that those two were the best of friends? He never exactly went around declaring to everyone that he was best friends with her—"

"—Imagine how much worse it would have been for Naruto-chan if all the girls in the Academy knew that Naruto was his best friend?" Hinata asked flatly. Kiba paused and stared at her with wide eyes as the blue-haired girl slumped her shoulders. "The times when Naruto got close to him in public resulted with all those girls accusing her of trying to steal Sasuke."

"Are you saying that Sasuke acted like an even bigger ass to her during our time in the Academy because he didn't want her to get hurt?"

Hinata nodded and leaned forward against the shop window. He used to have a strange way of showing how much he cared about her during the Academy. The times he messed up was when Naruto needed him the most. Coldness seeped into her fingers and hurt blue eyes flashed before her eyes.

"What about Sakura?" Kiba asked. "Why didn't he do anything about the way she treated Naruto?"

The blue-haired girl took in a deep breath and then exhaled. "What could he do about Sakura? If he defended Naruto then it would make the rumors true and their teamwork would suffer immensely from it. Do you really think at the age of 12, Sakura would have been the type to set aside her feelings for Sasuke and realize that Sasuke would never like her in the same ways as Naruto?"

In the distance, a bird sang its evening song and Kiba just peered down at her with uncertain eyes. Hinata closed her eyes and listened to the roaring beat of her furious heart. Sakura would never admit defeat at that time and right now I don't know if she would ever accept the fact that Sasuke would always carry a torch for Naruto. She stretched her finger and rubbed her eyes.

"It is one twisted way of protecting Naruto," Kiba observed. "Naruto really had the worst of luck when it comes to her teammates. No matter who the Hokage picked for their team, she was always going to end up with someone that didn't like her."

Hinata nodded. "The other boys would have found her dreams to be stupid and would have told her that she should focus on trying to be a support kunoichi for them. If a girl had been chosen then Naruto would have dealt with an uncooperative teammate, who would be jealous over the fact that Naruto only had to say one word to get Sasuke to listen."

Akamaru barked and Kiba just stared at her for the longest time with furrowed eyebrows. What's wrong? It is a well-known fact that only Naruto-chan can affect Sasuke. She traced the outline of the mannequin with her fingers before lowering her hand. But even though only her best friend could affect the raven-haired boy…it hadn't been enough to stop him.

Guilty black eyes zipped past her eyes and Hinata stared up at the floating clouds that strolled across the setting sun.

You still care about her, you foolish boy and you hurt her in the worst possible way.

If it wasn't for the fact Naruto would have noticed something was amiss then she would have screamed those words to that boy.

"We have to tell the Hokage that Sasuke is here," Kiba declared evenly. Hinata jerked her head and let out a squeak before looking back at the grim-faced boy. He darted his eyes to the running, giggling children before looking back at her. "If he is here then it means that Naruto might be in danger! Why would he go to her workplace if she wasn't his target?"

Hinata shook her head. "Naruto isn't his target."

"How can she not be his target!" He cried, furiously shaking his head at her. Brown eyebrows knitted together and a wrinkle formed on his forehead as the world around them grew deathly silent. Only her teammate's scream echoed in the street. "You just said that he had been watching Naruto! How can we be certain that he isn't going to mess with her and her mind?"

Because he would have tried getting her attention but he hasn't done anything to get it. Sasuke had never been the type to fear repercussion or else he would have waited till she left. He hadn't scowled or gazed at her with annoyance while she sat at that café. All the older boy did was order green tea and observed the scene before leaving them.

If he wanted to mess with Naruto then he would have said something to her best friend when she dropped off the order, but he only kept quiet and looked at some magazine.

"Sasuke wouldn't have put on a disguise and avoided getting Naruto's attention if he wanted her to be his target," Hinata explained. Kiba blinked and raised his eyebrows to his hairline while the girl looked flatly at a couple walking passed them. Their hands clasped together into a tight lock and she felt envy growing inside of her stomach at the sight. She shook her head. "He has another target."

It was obvious who was his actual target.

Kabuto.

It seemed like this mission was going to be even more complicated than from what they originally bargained for.


"So Kabuto got himself captured by Naruto."

Dabi folded his arms against his chest and inspected the raven-haired boy, who gazed blankly at the petulant Shigaraki. When the boy made his presence known, the last thing he ever expected to learn that this 15-year-old boy was the infamous apprentice of All For One's ally. He had been expecting someone with shifty eyes but the boy was as stoic as a rock.

Well he had been that still until Shigaraki informed Sasuke of what happened to Kabuto.

The black-haired boy did not look one bit fazed at the knowledge that his teacher's right-hand man had been captured. Nothing about his posture, at first glance, gave him away. But Dabi did not miss the way those shoulders relaxed or how his lips almost twitched into a slight smile at this piece of information. Maybe that annoying man is right. He tapped his finger against the table.

"You aren't shock by this piece of information," Shigaraki commented with slanted eyes. "Kabuto lead us all to believe that he would have no problem capturing your teammate."

Sasuke picked up his drink and then stared at the growling man with disinterest. "Naruto is unpredictable and that is something that Kabuto always failed to realize about that idiot."

The other members of the league exchanged glances and Dabi scrutinized the boy. The dark shadows darkened half of his features, highlighting not only how young the male was but just how dangerous he was. That sword in his hand glinted and gleamed with danger while those black eyes gazed at them with not just indifference but disgust.

Dabi narrowed his eyes and took a sip of his sake while Kurogiri gazed at the raven-haired teen with a tilted head.

"I still think that we should try and continue to recruit her!" Toga declared, puffing her cheeks. The girl pulled out her knife and twirled it around with a slight maniac gleam in her eyes. Shigaraki grunted and looked to the dusty floors while Twice just gazed at the girl with slight wonder in his eyes. "It will be nice to have another cute girl around my age in the group!"

So you could try and cut her up? Dabi shook his head and looked down at his phone. That viral video of his little brother's girlfriend had been played and repeated until the scene burns into his memory. Oh, his brother picked such a strange girl to date. Their shitty old man must not know about their relationship or else his dear little brother wouldn't date someone like her.

Twice opened his arms and grinned behind his bodysuit. "It will be nice to have another cute girl. Wait, she is a minor!"

Sasuke tightened his grip around his shoulder and his jaws clenched so tight that Dabi would not be surprised that they broke from the pressure. Protective over her, is he? Then again it had been a 15-year-old Tomoyo and she was being leered upon by a grown man then he would have been ready to punch someone.

"Why do you have to keep doing this, Touya? You said that Endeavor stopped your training! I don't like seeing you hurting yourself like this!"

Teary violet eyes flashed before his eyes and Dabi shoved the memory to the darkest corner of his mind. Touya was dead. He died when his father casted him aside and set his attention on his youngest brother. All that attention that he had been forced to endure, had been given to the child that his shitty old man believed would make him number one.

That was probably when Shouto slowly began to die and become a better instrument for his father's wishes.

"You really don't understand anything if you think that Naruto will follow you," Sasuke declared, pulling out his katana. Black eyes stared at the sharp side of his sword as everyone turned around to stare at the youngest boy in the room. "If that idiot made up her mind about becoming a hero then she is going to stick with that idea."

I'm going to be a Hero, no matter what Touya!

Confident green eyes danced before his eyes and Dabi decided that everyone with the last name Uzumaki was stubborn.

The black-haired man twisted and turned his cup around as his sake swished and swashed around, spilling onto the table. Should I confirm what that Kabuto say about this boy? It would be a good idea. If that boy carried a torch for his teammate then he would betray them if they dared bring harm to his first love.

They couldn't afford to trust a boy who was deeply in love with his little brother's girlfriend.

"Kabuto said that Uzumaki Naruto is your first love."

For a brief second, surprise lit up in those black eyes before fading into remorse and pain before schooling into a blank expression. Dabi felt his lips twitched into a slight cocky smirk as Shigaraki darted his eyes between them. Toga blinked and leaned forward with an eagerness that reminded him of an excited little puppy.

After a couple of minutes, Sasuke cleared his throat and stared indifferently at him. "Are you going to believe the words of a fool that underestimated his opponent?"

Dabi rested his face over his fist and regarded the boy with impassive eyes. Ordinarily, he would never trust the words of a stranger especially a stranger who threatened to ruin his little brother. But you aren't denying that she is your first love and your tone almost sound hysterical. The smirk on his face widened and he felt some glee clawing up to his throat.

This guy had one obvious weak spot and his little brother snatched it from him.

"Oh so we don't need to worry about you going ballistic over the fact that your first love is dating Endeavor's son?" Dabi asked, flexing his hands together. Why are you doing this? Are you really going to hurt Shouto? Teary heterochromatic eyes flashed before him and regret flooded into his system but he pushed it aside. Dabi. He was Dabi and Dabi was going to destroy everything that Endeavor held dear.

That included the child that he picked over him.

"You are Todoroki Touya," A voice that sounded so much like Tomoyo whispered into his ear. "And that is your younger brother who might get into harms way! Are you really going to put your youngest brother through this to spite him?"

The scarred man dug his fingers against the palm of his hand and felt his chest burned as a distant memory came to his mind. His smiling mother coming into the house with a little baby who had evenly split red and white hair. His stomach churning with both hate and love because his baby brother had been born from his weakness. He could remember Fuyumi saying…

"I want to protect him, don't you Touya? He is so tiny."

Shouto had been a big baby if you asked him.

"Why would I care about something so frivolous? Naruto means nothing to me."

Dabi looked away from the palm of his hand and stared at the stone-faced teen. The distant sound of a car roaring echoed in the background and the rats scrambled away from them as black eyes fixated on him. Nothing out of the ordinary came out of his gaze but a quick glance at the hilt of the katana spoke of a different story to him.

His teammate meant something to him and that tightened grip on the katana meant that the boy was not one bit happy over the knowledge that his first love was with someone else. Shouto always takes everything and he ruins everything that he touches. The words was ready to come out but something stopped him.

"To-niisan, why did he hit me?"

And just like that the urge died down.

"Your grip tells a whole different story, Lover Boy."

Sasuke's eyebrows twitched while everyone looked at him with frowns playing on their lips. Shigaraki regarded him for the longest time with eyes filled with suspicion. Twice only tilted his head and just stared at the katana with confused eyes. Only Himiko stared at the grip with slight wide eyes and that crazy girl smiled widely like she found the most interesting piece of information.

The black-haired boy narrowed his eyes. "I came here to get information on what happened to that idiot Kabuto and pass that information to Orochimaru. My non-existent bond with that idiot is none of your business."

Dabi only stared at him with thin lips.

But it is because I don't think you are on our side. You are going to betray us the moment that someone hurts your first love.

He could only watch and see what the boy intended to do for the rest of his time here. But Dabi had no intention of lowering his guard around that teen.

Only a fool would do such a thing.


Author Note: So we have Sasuke's flashback after what happened in the Valley Of The End. We also see Naruto getting upset with Inasa for his behavior towards Shouto and the introduction of another Uzumaki. Hinata and Kiba discussed about Sasuke and Naruto's past and Dabi doesn't trust Sasuke for one second. Now here are a couple of questions:

Q1: What did you think of Sasuke's flashback?

Q2: How did you feel about the second scene?

Q3: What do you think of the conversation between Hinata and Kiba?

Q4: How did you feel about the introduction of Sasuke?

Please do tell me of your thoughts on this chapter.