Sasuke strengthened his resolve as he looked down at Naruto from the top of the waterfall.
"To me you have become… my closest friend."
Naruto blinked. "What?"
Sasuke blinked. "What?"
Naruto smiled. "Did you just say I'm your bestest best friend in the whole world?"
"What? No I-"
"Oh my God, I have to tell everyone!" And with that, Naruto darted out of the valley into the forest, seemingly having forgotten why they were even there.
"I sense I have made a grave mistake."
/
"Sasuke," Naruto said looking up at the teenager.
"Naruto." Sasuke said. It had been years since their strange separation. He wondered how that had gone for Naruto. With the realization that his so-called best friend was never coming back. Maybe he'd finally grown up.
"You know you aren't a very good best friend."
Sasuke faltered. "What?"
"I mean, three years and you haven't even had the decency to write? I feel like you just don't appreciate me."
Sasuke continued to stare at the pouting blonde.
"And you never even told me where you lived. Do you know how hard it's been to get you a birthday present?" Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out three sealing scrolls. "And your seventeenth birthday is coming up soon too. My gift is going to blow your socks off." He threw the scrolls.
Sasuke dodged all three of them before looking at Sakura.
"Don't look at me. You're the one who brought this upon yourself."
"How cold of you Sasuke," Orochimaru said, appearing next to the Uchiha, three scrolls in his hand. "Ignoring your best friend."
Sasuke gave the Sanin a withering look.
Orochimaru responded by activating the jutsu that would obstruct them from view so they could escape, right as he left he heard Sakura yell. "Wait, am I your girlfriend? Say nothing if yes."
They were a mile away when the question registered in his head and Orochimaru had to grab him to keep him from going back.
/
"Sasuke," Itachi said.
"Itachi," Sasuke returned.
"I see you didn't kill your best friend."
Sasuke twitched.
"I would know. He's done nothing but brag about it every time I've seen him."
Sasuke audibly groaned.
/
"So you're really going to destroy Konoha?" Madara asked.
"Yes."
"Including your best friend."
The two Uchiha looked at each other from across the table.
Sasuke got up from his seat and walked out the door.
Madara watched as the boy left. "That wasn't a no," he noted.
/
Sasuke glared at the sand siblings. How the tables had turned since they'd last seen him.
"I gotta admit," the girl said. "I don't get Naruto's tastes in friends."
Sasuke gaped at the comment.
"I mean, that Sakura girl seemed like she'd be a much safer best friend than a wanted criminal."
"Wait," the one with the face paint said… "Isn't she dating him."
Sasuke looked at the Kazekage.
Gaara glared back. "I'd make a better best friend," he said.
Sasuke used the Susanoo to knock the ceiling down.
/
"Sasuke!"
Sasuke looked up from Karin's unconscious body at the arrival of Sakura.
"No." He jumped off the bridge.
He didn't get that far because Naruto arrived immediately after.
"Naruto."
"Sasuke," Naruto said. "I heard about what happened to your clan."
Sasuke didn't say anything.
"Sasuke, what you're doing is…"
Sasuke waited for the expected judgements. Wrong. Evil. Misguided.
…understandable."
Sasuke was so surprised by the words that he didn't react when Naruto walked up to him and hugged him.
"It's alright," he said. "Your best friend is here to make it all better."
Sasuke pushed Naruto off. "What is wrong with you? Why are you so… so…?"
Naruto gave another of his stupid smiles. "Come on Sasuke. What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't empathetic?"
Before Sasuke could answer, a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked back at Madara. "We should go," the ancient shinobi said.
Sasuke looked back at Naruto. "Would you still be my friend if I destroyed Konoha?"
Naruto stared back. "It's because I'm your friend that I'll stop you."
/
Sasuke landed on the battlefield, ignoring the yells of his old classmates.
"Naruto," he said.
"Dad! This is the best friend I told you about."
Sasuke turned away from them. "Never mind."
/
Sasuke breathed a sign of relief as the second Hokage teleported the bomb away.
He glanced at Naruto who was smiling at him.
He looked down at his arm, raised protectively in front of the Jinchuriki.
With a huff, he deactivated the Susanoo.
/
"So you plan on killing Naruto? Why?"
Sasuke opened his mouth before shutting it and looked around. "Where is Naruto now?"
"He's in a separate space from us."
Sasuke glanced around suspiciously once more before looking back at the Sage of Six Paths. "It's because he's still my closest friend."
There was a sound like the ripping of cloth. Sasuke looked at the source in horror as fingers seemed to burst out of thin air. The fingers bent to grip the fabric of reality before pulling ripping a hole through existence to reveal…
Naruto jumped out of the hole with a cry of joy. "Sasuke! I knew you still felt that way!"
Sasuke stared in horror before he turned around and started running. "Leave me alone!"
"Come back! Don't you have to kill me because I'm your closest friend?"
"Fuck off!"
Hagoromo shook his head and smiled. "Children," he said to himself.
/
Happy Birthday Sasuke.
I just learned it was his birthday and threw this together.
Check me out on Twitter at WriterImmigrant