Sasuke runs a hand over a broad expanse of tanned skin, drawing a giggle out of Naruto.
"That tickles!" Naruto says, squirming. "Stop it!"
"You sure you want me to stop?" Sasuke says, smirking as his hand slides down Naruto's chest to regions further south. The other boy's body stiffens beneath him, drawing a startled breath.
"Okay, okay!" Naruto laughs, "keep going…"
Sasuke runs his lips over Naruto's jaw, breathing the blond in. It's heady, intoxicating. His skin sparks wherever he touches Naruto, and his heart's beating crazy fast. There's never been anyone else who can slip past his armor. There's never been anyone else who can match him. There's never been anyone else who can make him feel this way.
He stares into deep-blue eyes which crinkle in a smile, utterly spellbound. Those damn eyes…
They suck him in. It's mesmerizing. It's addictive. He could get lost for hours in those eyes. It's happened before.
"You alright there, buddy? It's rude to stare, ya know," Naruto says, a blinding white smile stretching over his lips.
"You're incredible," Sasuke replies softly, letting a hand drift up to tangle fingers into Naruto's hair. "I'm never letting you go."
"I'm not going anywhere-" Naruto starts to say, but Sasuke's already pressing their lips together, cutting him off—
Now Sasuke is crouching in the woods, cold air stinging his face, cradling Naruto's body in his arms. The slick warmth of blood covers his arms, covers his clothes, and covers Naruto's chest. He's bleeding out, and Sasuke knows there's nothing that he can say, nothing he can do that will make it better.
Nothing will ever get better.
Sasuke's arms tremble and his breath catches in his throat as he meets Naruto's eyes one last time. The other boy's trying to talk, but only a pained rattle leaves his bloody lips. Sasuke stares into rich, blue eyes, seeing them crinkle again as Naruto flashes him a faint, pained smile. It's a meager farewell, a weak send-off.
"I love you," Sasuke gasps, his arms tightening around the blond.
And he stares into those blue eyes until the life fades out of them.
Nothing will ever get better.
Sasuke runs his hand over his face as morning light shines through the window, the sudden brightness making his head throb.
He feels like shit. Jiraiya kept him up late last night, pestering him with "interview questions" for his book. He's fucking exhausted, and he can't sleep. He can't sleep because with sleep come the dreams, and he's sick of dreaming about Naruto.
So he doesn't sleep.
He had packed the clothes and supplies he'd bought with Jiraiya's money into a black bag, and now he hefts the bag as he prepares to leave. Jiraiya's snoring peacefully in the other bed, and Sasuke spares a moment to give him an almost-fond glance. Then he noiselessly slips out the window.
The streets are mostly empty this early, as the rising sun daubing the sky brilliant shades of purple and orange. He lands on the ground lightly, shifting his pack so it rests securely on his back.
Running into Itachi had shaken him up. There's no point lying to himself about that. He's never managed feelings particularly well, and his minor breakdown yesterday is proof enough of that. There's another person who's alive right now, but he resolves not to think about them. It hurts too much.
He's not thinking about golden hair and vibrant blue eyes. He's not thinking about tanned skin and a wide, effortless smile. Sasuke sighs.
Okay. So he's thinking about the six-year-old version of Naruto living across town right now. He needs to see the boy, but at the same time, he doesn't know if he can handle it. Seeing this younger Naruto would mean that the older version, the version that Sasuke had known and loved, was gone forever.
Sasuke doesn't want to see him.
No, he does want to see him.
Actually, he really doesn't.
He clenches his fists, remembering the animosity and hostility Naruto had faced growing up, and realizing that the boy is probably experiencing it daily. Sasuke tries not to think about it, because he doesn't think he can handle seeing any more loved ones wandering the streets right now. It's like seeing ghosts.
"Fuck this," he says to himself, running a hand through his hair. He needs to think about something else.
So Sasuke thinks about revenge instead. It's an easy distraction. Most of his life has been spent chasing revenge, after all. He's good at this. The anger and hate is comfortable. Familiar. He'll start with Danzo, of course. If he kills the man now, there's a good chance the Uchiha massacre will never happen.
It's a chance worth taking.
But Danzo was a paranoid bastard, and Sasuke has no doubt that this is still true of the man's younger version. He could storm the Root headquarters, wiping them out to the last man. He has the Rinnegan, the Six Paths chakra, and the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. He's pretty sure no one could stop him.
That would be rather messy, though. He doesn't particularly want to deal with the complications of assassinating such a high-ranking official in the very heart of Konoha. He'll do it if he has to, but if there's any alternative…
Something catches his eye. A little newsstand sits on the intersection of two boulevards, a man setting up stacks of newspapers as he yawns. It's a mundane scene, not particularly worthy of note, aside from one thing.
Danzo's face is emblazoned on the front page of the newspaper.
Sasuke darts over, snatching up a newspaper and flickering around the corner before anyone can even tell he's there. His eyes fly over the caption on the photo and the accompanying article, and he laughs out loud.
The universe really is on his side this time. Because the news article is discussing a diplomatic summit to negotiate a military alliance between Suna, the Village Hidden in the Sand, and Konoha. The person being sent to represent the Leaf Village is none other than one Danzo Shimura.
And Danzo may have an army of fanatically loyal, brainwashed followers. He may rule over Konoha from his underground stronghold. He may hold more political power in the village than the Hokage himself. But none of that will matter, because the moment he's far away enough from the village, Sasuke is going to rip him apart.
He lets his feet wander of their own accord, daydreaming. Danzo's Sharingan-studded arm had been implanted by Orochimaru prior to the Uchiha massacre. While Danzo may not have the ten Sharingan he possessed when Sasuke killed him the first time, he probably still has a couple.
That suits Sasuke just fine, because Izanagi will give him the unique pleasure of killing Danzo over and over, in different and creative ways. He smiles darkly at that thought. Then the smile fades as he looks up.
The decrepit apartment building in front of him is painfully familiar. He shakes his head, realizing he'd unconsciously walked straight to Naruto's shitty apartment. That makes sense, though. Sasuke had always run to Naruto. And this may not be his Naruto, the man he'd loved with all of his heart, but it's still Naruto. It's still home.
Now the distraction offered by revenge isn't working. Now—
He can see the window of Naruto's room, dark and empty right now. The boy's probably asleep. Sasuke scowls as he takes in the seedy surroundings, seething inside. This Naruto is still a rowdy child, but to Sasuke, Naruto is the saviour of the Leaf Village. He's the boy who'd defeated Pain, who had put his life on the line time and time again to save the village he'd loved.
He deserves better than this.
Sasuke wants to take him. He wants to take Naruto away and raise the boy himself, away from all this. Naruto deserves the fucking world, and Sasuke wants to give it to him. He entertains the fantasy for a couple minutes, standing motionless outside the apartment building.
They could live on one of the scattered farmsteads outside the village. Sasuke's an adult now, he could manage to raise a child. This Naruto would never be able to replace the Naruto he'd lost, but that doesn't mean Sasuke doesn't love him. He could spare the child so much pain, he could give the boy a loving home. It's a nice fantasy, but—
Sasuke has to change the way the future unfolds. He's already seen this play out before, and he doesn't like the ending. No, he needs to rewrite history to ensure that Kaguya never rises, to ensure that the world doesn't end. That means waging a bitter war against a gauntlet of deadly adversaries, and he can't take Naruto with him while he does that. It's not safe, and Sasuke can't bear the thought of losing Naruto a second time.
Sasuke presses the heels of his palms into his eyes, groaning. All he wants to do is slip through the window above him and look upon Naruto one more time. He wants to wrap the boy up in a hug and give him the affection he deserves.
Sasuke would do anything for this boy. He'd walk over broken glass barefoot just to see Naruto smile again. He'd take a knife to the gut just to hear Naruto laugh again. He'd fall from grace just to see Naruto's face one more time.
So he bottles up his longing and his selfish desires, locking them into the far recesses of his mind. He has a job to do first.
He'd been lost when he'd woken up in that forest to find Jiraiya peering down at him. He'd had no direction or purpose when he'd stumbled back home to Konoha. But now he has his mission. Now he has his purpose.
He's going to kill Danzo, Obito, Zetsu, all of them. And then he's going to take Naruto from this bitter and dark place and raise the boy himself. This is his mission. This is all he wants now.
"I'll come back for you," he says quietly, staring up at the darkened window of Naruto's tiny apartment. "I swear I'll come back for you."
Sasuke turns around and walks down the street, the newspaper clutched in his clenched hand. He doesn't look back.