"We will go right down to the sea

Bathing in light, we will be free

To wander."

— Fleetwood Mac, "Sands of Time"


Chapter One

Naruto and Sasuke


In the southernmost reaches of the Land of Fire, right at the tip of the Indra Archipelago, there sat a village: Omikan was its name.

Being at the edge of the world as it was, Omikan Village was a quiet and peaceful place. The people were kind, always smiling and cheerful, and they were happy just to hear the distant sounds of the waves as they sat in the sun, drinking and eating their fish. Sometimes, when the wind blew just right, the scent of the ocean could even roll down from over the cliffs and into the quaint little town—that's when they knew it would be a good day.

And as he walked down the old dirt roads on that warm summer's day, feeling the sun on his arms, Sasuke Uchiha caught the smell of the sea, and smiled.

The boy, 15, made his way slowly through the village, his ebony eyes lingering a little longer than usual on the familiar sights. He noticed things that he had often taken for granted, like the benches waiting on every street corner inviting people to rest for a moment, or the way a few of the shop signs had become slanted over the years.

After all, Omikan Village was the only place Sasuke had ever known, and it was the place as a whole that was a part of him. The little details never needed to be noticed—they simply were; but today was different, thought Sasuke. Today, they were worth noticing.

Because tomorrow was his 16th birthday. Tomorrow, he would be saying goodbye to his home.

Still, there was one final thing he had to do in Omikan: have his mother's onigiri one last time. "I'll make them for you tonight," she had said, smiling, "but you have to go get the nori."

And so, Sasuke came into town one last time; partly for the nori, and partly to say his silent goodbyes. He would miss this place, certainly—but the world was a big place, and he couldn't wait to see it.

Soon, he arrived at the market. One of the hubs of the town, the market was a long cobblestone street lined with shops and stands on either side. Fresh food, clothes, fishing materials—anything and everything Omikan needed could be found there. Wooden picnic tables were also scattered about, as people ate lunch in the shade of wide, hand-painted umbrellas.

Sasuke's destination was about halfway down the road: the nori stand, run by Botan, a middle-aged man forever in blue robes and a white hachimaki tied around his forehead.

"Sasuke!" said Botan, seeing the Uchiha arrive. "Long time no see!"

"Hey, Botan," Sasuke smiled. "How have you been?"

"Ah, you know," the older man laughed. "Same old. Business has been good, at least. So, what can I get for you today?"

"One box of nori, please."

"Sure thing!" Botan reached down over his stand and pulled up a bundle of dried seaweed, cool from the shade of his awning. Behind him stood the shop proper, where he retreated to find a box.

Sasuke was left waiting for a moment, and his eyes drifted to the cart next to Botan's: a newspaper stand. On a rack facing him was an edition of the Shinobi Times from a few days before. Much of the front page was covered in the lead story, the words at the top in large black letters:

"A NEW PEACE: SHINOBI UNION RATIFIES TREATY WITH AMEGAKURE"

Below the title was a black and white picture of A, the Supreme Commander of the Union, in the famous grey jacket of the Allied Shinobi Forces. He was shaking hands with Ame's leader, a man Sasuke didn't recognize. Neither of them, he noticed, were smiling.

Soon, Botan returned from the back with a small cardboard box.

"Let me guess," he said to Sasuke as he packed the nori. "Onigiri?"

Sasuke turned back to Botan, putting the paper out of his mind. He laughed, a little embarrassed by the older man so easily remembering his favourite food. "Yeah. My mom said she'd make them one last time before I go."

Suddenly, Botan stopped, and his eyes went wide. "That's right, I almost forgot! You're leaving us! So when's the big day?"

Sasuke smiled, excited. "Tomorrow."

"Wow…tomorrow, huh? I can't believe it came so fast. You're all grown up now, just like your brother!"

"Yeah. Time sure does fly."

"Tell me about it," said Botan, shaking his head. He handed Sasuke the box of nori. "Free of charge today, Sasuke. My going away gift to you."

"Thanks, Botan. Take care."

The two parted with a smile and a wave, and Sasuke was on his way. As he moved down the road, the scents of the market wafted back and forth across his nose; but he controlled himself, knowing his mom's onigiri were waiting for him at home. Instead, he found himself at peace, excited about what tomorrow might bring.

Suddenly, though, a terrible sound landed on his ears. It was a groan: faint, but painful.

Turning his head in its direction, Sasuke found a clearing between two market stalls on his right, both of their proprietors staring at something in the small alley. He approached, wondering what sort of animal had made its way into town this time.

"What's going on?" he asked the shop owners.

Kiyomi, a woman in her 30s and a friend of his mother's who sold fashion accessories, turned to him. "Hey, Sasuke. Come take a look at this."

He stepped forward between the two carts, and as he did, he found something strange: a boy, around his age, with blonde hair and three whisker marks on each cheek. The stranger wore a loud orange coat filled with mud and dirt, and his mouth hung agape.

"What do you think this is all about?" Kiyomi asked him.

Sasuke went up to the boy, knelt down beside him. "Hey. Are you alright?"

The blonde said nothing, and the Uchiha thought for a moment that he was talking to a corpse.

"Hey!" said Sasuke, urgently now. "What happened to you? Hey!"

"Please," muttered the stranger. With what little strength he had left, he lifted a weak hand.

"What is it?" asked Sasuke.

The blonde turned his lifeless blue eyes, and spoke, his voice fading on the breeze.

"Please…I need…ramen…"

- I -

The hum of the market was loud as Sasuke somehow found himself at a shady picnic table while the blonde stranger sat across from him, slurping down his fourth helping of ramen.

Slamming the bowl down on the table, the other boy grinned from ear to ear. "Whooooo boy! Now that's the stuff!" He turned to the front stand of the ramen shop and called for the waiter. "One more please!"

Sasuke sighed, his narrow eyes planted firmly on the stranger's face. "Do you even have enough money to pay for this?"

"Huh?" said the blonde, confused. "I thought it was on you."

"W-what!?" exclaimed Sasuke. "No way! I don't have money to waste buying a bum lunch!"

"Hey, I'm no bum! I was just hungry, that's all!" A moment later, a fifth bowl of ramen was brought to him, and his smile stretched from ear-to-ear.

Sasuke got a better look at him now, and found him a little different now that he wasn't half-dead. His skin had a slight tan to it, and his shoulders were wide. His hair, bright like the sun, was at once spiky and messy as it came down in front of his eyes, as blue and wild as the ocean. And of course, there was the orange jacket, blue shoulders and a white collar—easily the most eccentric article of clothing in all of Omikan, and to top it all off, zipped up to its top in the middle of summer.

The Uchiha could not have looked much different if he tried. His black hair was ruffled at the back, but perfectly framed his face in front—a face which the young girls of the village were known to fall for quite easily—and his dark eyes were cool as they studied the boy across from him, slurping ramen without a care in the world.

"Where are you from, anyway?" asked Sasuke.

"Mmm…last place I was in was Umenashi Village," the blonde said, mouth stuffed with noodles. "Been travelling for a week."

"A week from Umenashi? It shouldn't have taken that long."

The boy swallowed, and then grinned, embarrassed. "Well, I kinda got a little lost…"

"Hmm…" As the blonde returned to his ramen, Sasuke couldn't help but let his eyes fall on the whisker marks on his cheeks. The Uchiha had never seen anything like them before, and wondered what they meant.

Whatever it was though, the stranger didn't seem the threatening type.

"So," continued Sasuke, "what are you doing in Omikan, anyway?"

Suddenly, the blonde froze. The ramen fell from his mouth, and wide blue eyes, the colour of the ocean, fell on Sasuke.

"O-Omikan…? I'm in Omikan!?"

His shout halted the action of the market for a second, and Sasuke felt his skin crawl from embarrassment. "Easy, dumbass!" he said as the crowd around them continued on.

The blonde's head fell onto the table with a thud, and he sighed, defeated. "Dammit…I got lost again…"

Sasuke, suddenly, found himself wondering why he had to pick up an idiot on his last day in the village. "Unbelievable…how did you wind up at the end of the country by accident?"

"Gah, I messed up!" the boy said as he grabbed his head, angry with himself. "I meant to go north, not south! Man, this sucks…"

Sasuke smirked. "Well, you shouldn't have any more problems. North is the only way you can go from here."

The stranger chuckled. "I guess so. My name's Naruto, by the way. What's yours?"

"Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto's brow furrowed, his hand going to his chin. "Uchiha, huh? I feel like I've heard that somewhere before…"

Out of nowhere, memories started rising in Sasuke's mind. All the stories he'd heard over the years of his family's past came back to him. "It was a famous clan once," he said, "but most of us were wiped out with Konoha. I'm surprised you've even heard the name…"

But Naruto's eyes lit up. "That's right," he said, "Konoha! That's where I know it from!"

"You know that much about it?" asked Sasuke. "Konoha?"

"Of course! In fact, that's why I want to go north—to see the ruins."

"Really? Why would you want to do that?"

"Well…" Naruto grinned, and Sasuke saw a secret in his smile. "There's just something I have to see, ya know?"

"Huh…" The Uchiha's eyes widened, an idea occurring to him. "Hey—I could take you there."

"What!?" yelled Naruto. "I'm not a kid! I don't need a tour guide!"

"I meant we'd go together, dumbass!" retorted Sasuke. "I'm planning on heading north tomorrow, anyway, so I thought I'd keep you company."

"Oh," the blonde said, understanding. "So you're going north, too, huh? What for?"

Sasuke smiled, proud and excited. "I'm going to the Shinobi Union headquarters—I'm joining the Allied Shinobi Forces!"

As suddenly as the first drop of rain on a sunny day, Naruto's face lost its smile. In its place came a frown: somber, and angry.

"The ASF, huh?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah," said Sasuke, confused. "Why?"

Just as quickly as the blonde's expression darkened, so it lifted again; but the cheer he had a moment ago did not return. He sighed. "Nothing…"

Swinging his legs out from under the picnic table and getting to his feet, Naruto kept his blue eyes away from Sasuke. The Uchiha knew he had said something wrong, touched a nerve of some sort—but he wasn't sure what it was.

"Thanks for the help earlier," said Naruto, plainly. "See ya."

And with that, he was off.

"Wait!" Sasuke called. "Naruto!"

The blonde did not turn around, and Sasuke was left sitting on his own.

"What was that about…?" he asked himself; but all he knew for certain was that there was more to Naruto than the idiot he took him for.

"Ahem!"

Before Sasuke knew it, the owner of the ramen stand was standing over his shoulder, a sharpness in his eyes. It was then that Sasuke returned his gaze to where Naruto was a moment before, four empty bowls of ramen and a fifth, half-finished, sat on the table.

He palmed his forehead, grimacing.

"Dammit…"

- I -

"Mom! I'm home!"

It was the middle of the afternoon when Sasuke stepped foot into his house. A small building on the edge of town, just below the ocean cliffs, the Uchiha family home was a simple place: a living room on one side, and kitchen on the other, and three bedrooms upstairs.

His mother, busy over the kitchen counter, looked up as he came in. "Oh, you're back!" Wiping her hands on her apron, Mikoto Uchiha stepped into the hallway. In her forties now, her long black hair was beginning to gray on the sides and the wrinkles were slowly setting in on her face—but if anything, they only suited her more. Her smile was still as warm as ever, and her dark eyes, so much like Sasuke's, had not lost their light.

"That took longer than I thought," she said, smirking. "Sneaking off with a girl again?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he kicked off his shoes. "Please, Mom. I just got caught up." He stepped inside, handed his mother the nori.

"Oh?" she asked. "With what?" Opening the box, she inspected the seaweed, and smiled approvingly.

"Hmm…" Sasuke frowned for a moment, thinking of how to answer her question. "Well, it's kind of a long story…"

- I -

"Really?" said Mikoto. "He knew the Uchiha?"

Shoving an entire rice ball into his mouth, Sasuke gave his mother a knowing look from across the table. "Weird, isn't it?" he said, mouth stuffed.

"Almost as weird as how fast you eat."

He swallowed, washing it down with a swig of water. "Sorry. But it is strange, isn't it? He even knew about Konoha—he said he wanted to check out the ruins."

"Hmm…" His mother thought for a minute as Sasuke took another of the onigiri. "What did you say his name was again?"

"Naruto."

"Naruto, huh? For some reason it sounds familiar, but I don't know why…"

"Well," said Sasuke. "The world is a big place…"

Mikoto smiled. "That's for sure."

A peaceful silence fell over the dinner table. Sasuke and Mikoto sat across from each other in the waning daylight, the yellow sun just beginning to slip over the southern cliffs. The shadow of the trees in the yard fell through the window, and the glow of the light danced on their faces.

Sasuke, though he was savouring the taste of his mother's onigiri, couldn't help but remember more of his conversation with Naruto.

"Oh—and he also acted weird when I told him I was joining the ASF."

"Did he?" Mikoto said, somewhat confused. "Why?"

"I'm not sure…he just got up, said thanks, and left."

"Weird…"

Sasuke returned to the rice balls, but could hear something in his mother's voice that told him she was distracted. He knew her well enough to know what that meant. Soon enough, her emotions got the best of her, and a hand went to her face to cover her tears.

"Mom…"

"I know, I know," Mikoto said, sniffling. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't be doing this."

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, a somber look on his face as he had to watch his mom cry. "You know I'll be fine, right?" he said, trying to help her calm down. "I'm strong enough to take care of myself."

"I know you are," she said. "I'm just—I'm so proud of you, and…I'm going to miss you so much." As much as Mikoto tried to keep her composure, there was no helping the tears.

Sasuke reached his hand out to his mother's, still on the table, and gave her a smile. "I'm telling you, Mom: you should come with me. I'm going to the Suna headquarters, after all—and you've always wanted to see the desert, haven't you?"

Mikoto's crying was broken up by her laughs, grateful for her son's attempts to cheer her up. "Please, Sasuke. I don't think the Union wants anything to do with a 40-year-old housewife."

"But you're not just a housewife!" Sasuke implored. "You taught me and Itachi everything we know—you're amazing!"

His mother controlled herself, took a deep breath as she smiled at him. Even through the tears, Sasuke could see her dark eyes trying to reach a memory. "That was a long time ago, Sasuke. Konoha…that was a different life."

There was no hiding the sadness in his face. "I just…I hate the idea of leaving you all alone…"

"I know, Sasuke," said Mikoto, now taking a turn to comfort her son. "And just hearing you say that means the world to me—but I'll be fine. Really."

The words fell softly on his ears, but Sasuke had a hard time believing them. The ASF had always been his dream, and he always knew that he would be leaving home one day; but only now that it was time to leave did he realize how hard it would be to say goodbye.

Before he could say anything more, though, three hard knocks came on the door. Mikoto's brow furrowed as she wiped her tears. "Who could that be?"

As Sasuke stood to get it, three more knocks came. "Yeah, yeah!" he called. "Just a second…"

But when he opened the door to see Botan catching his breath with a horrified look on his face, he realized this was no time for calm.

"Sasuke! It's that boy you were with earlier—the bandits got him!"

- I -

He was halfway across town by the time he realized he forgot his sword, but he did not turn around. The warm light of the setting sun bounced off the clouds, turning them pink, and fell on Sasuke's back, pushing him onward. He wasn't sure why he was in such a hurry; it wasn't like he owed that idiot anything.

But still, there was something calling out to him from those blue eyes in his memories—something he needed to know.

As Sasuke approached the centre of the village, he found a mass of people standing about, watching as something went down inside the town square. Pushing his way through the crowd, he began to see glimpses of what was happening in the middle: five bandits had arrived, all of them in long brown coats and black boots. Two of them held a tied-up Naruto between them and two more stood off to the side, ensuring no one came too close. The last, a man with a high ponytail who was clearly the leader, paced about slowly, addressing the crowd as his unsheathed sword dragged across the ground.

"Now!" the head bandit yelled. "If any of you at all cares about this kid, you'll give us what we ask for: 100 000 ryo, and we'll be on our way."

Murmurs broke out among the crowd as the outrageous demand sunk in. Sasuke knew well that no one in the village had that sort of money.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" yelled Naruto, panic-stricken. "I'm tellin' you, you don't want me! I'm just a traveller! You gotta let me go!"

One of the men holding him delivered a kick right into his stomach, and Naruto keeled over, a faint, "Ow," escaping him.

The head bandit turned back to the blonde, and laughed. The sword was gripped tightly in his hand, and a menacing look came into his eye. "Nice try. Now, I'll ask one last time!" he said to the villagers. At the same time, the blade rose to Naruto's neck. "Pay up, or this boy dies!"

"Wait!" Naruto pleaded with the voice of a dying cat. "Wait, wait, wait, wait! I'm innocent!"

The bandit smirked. "As if I care, kid."

The sword lifted high into the air, and Naruto closed his eyes as he prepared for his death.

"Wait!"

Everything froze: the sword, the bandits, the crowd. The boss turned to the origin of the voice and saw Sasuke step out into the open, anger in his face.

Naruto wasn't sure what was more incredible: that he was somehow alive, or that the Uchiha had stepped in to save him. "It's you!"

"What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke asked. "You guys aren't welcome here."

All five bandits were quiet for a second before breaking into laughter. "Good one, kid," the boss said. "That's real funny…"

Just as Mikoto and Botan arrived at the edge of the crowd, so too did the bandit lift his sword and point it in Sasuke's direction.

"Now," the man sneered, "let me teach you what happens when you try to play the hero."

Sasuke took his stance, ready to fight—but the two bandits who were controlling the crowd soon came to their leader's side. One-on-three wasn't ideal, thought Sasuke…

But he was headed for the Allied Shinobi Forces tomorrow.

He could handle some bandits.

But just as the intruders were about to charge, the strangest sound filled the air: a ribbit.

Turning to the edge of the crowd, Sasuke watched as a small orange toad made its way into the centre of the square, right beside the bandits—and then, suddenly, it stopped. Opening its mouth, it unrolled its long tongue and revealed a small black ball that it then laid on the ground.

The world was still for a second before the ball exploded. Steam shot outwards over the entire square, and the people of Omikan fled in a panic. The screams of the villagers, the stamping of feet, the sound of swords trying to slice through the mist—all of it wrapped up in a fog that left Sasuke blind where he stood.

He thought, for a moment, that it would be best to retreat; but as he was about to, a loud whisper caught his attention. "Psst! Sasuke! Where are you?"

Recognizing the voice as Naruto's, Sasuke closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the world was tinted red. The ebony that had filled his irises a moment ago ceded to a bright red, with three black tomoe spinning around each pupil.

The red eyes of the Sharingan darted back and forth through the fog, catching the movement of every faint wisp. Moving to his right, he soon found who he was looking for.

"Naruto!" he called quietly.

"Sasuke! Is that you?"

The Uchiha stepped forward, and Naruto was finally able to see him. "Hey, it is you! Listen, I need your—woah! Y-your eyes!"

Sasuke sighed. "It's my Sharingan. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, okay," said Naruto, too excited to question. "Listen! I need you to untie me!"

"Forget it for now," said Sasuke. "Just get out of here! I'll take care of this!"

Naruto suddenly let a disgusted look come across his face. "Huh? Was that bandit right? Are you actually trying to be a hero?"

"No, you idiot! But I'm a shinobi, so I should handle it!"

"So am I, dumbass!"

Sasuke wasn't sure why he was surprised—he knew there was more to Naruto than the blonde let on, after all—but he still found himself taken aback by the reveal; perhaps, he thought, because he never thought such an idiot could be a ninja.

"Now," Naruto said. "Untie me!"

The Uchiha got to work on the ropes, and a few seconds later had them loose. Naruto shrugged them off. "Ah, much better."

"So," said Sasuke, the sound of the bandits' swinging swords creeping ever closer. "Any plans?"

Naruto froze. "Hmm…good question…"

Sasuke, annoyed, raised his voice. "How the hell does a ninja let himself be captured by bandits, anyway!?"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" said Naruto. "I was busy eating!"

"Again!? You had five bowls of ramen at lunch!"

"That was four hours ago, red-eyes! People need to eat!"

"Not that much! And you left me with the bill, too! What the hell was that all about!?"

"Well that's what happens when you start talking about the ASF!"

A silence fell over the two of them for a moment.

"Why?" Sasuke said. "What do you have against them?"

Naruto's gaze fell to the ground, and there was an anger in his eyes that Sasuke hadn't seen before. In the haze of the fog, there was a darkness to them; and with the red tint of the Sharingan, what was once an ocean blue had become a purple, shadowed sky—a twilight of memory.

"They took someone important to me," said Naruto.

Ever since he was a boy, the Shinobi Union had been Sasuke's dream, a way to make the world a better place. That someone could be so against that didn't make any sense to him.

But hearing the regret in Naruto's voice, seeing the pain in his eyes—who was he to deny those feelings?

"But never mind that," said the blonde, shaking his head. "You can fight, right?"

"Sure," Sasuke said, "but we can't in this fog. Even my Sharingan can't see that well in it."

Naruto grinned, but his eyes remained firm. "Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it—and when I do, I'm going after the leader, alright? You hold the other ones off."

"What!?" Sasuke snapped. "Why do I get four of them!?"

"Because it's my plan! Now get ready!"

"Wait, Naruto!"

But the blonde had already begun. In the blink of an eye his hands met in front of his chest. Three successive signs were formed between them, his fingers moving quickly between the arrays. Ninjutsu, Sasuke discerned. So he really was a ninja.

When the last one was complete, he smiled. "Here we go!"

Sasuke felt a burst of chakra as a gust of wind expelled itself from Naruto. The fog cleared instantly, dissipating into the air—and when it did, the two boys found themselves surrounded by the five bandits, all of them with their swords drawn.

Naruto's face went pale. "Eh?"

"I told you to wait, idiot!" Sasuke growled, turning his back to the blonde.

In the distance, Mikoto watched from behind a stack of crates on the side of the road—but when she saw the mist disappear to reveal her son in trouble, she nearly jumped into the road. "Sasuke! Run!"

But Sasuke knew that wasn't an option.

The sunset glimmered off of the head bandit's blade. "Nice little stunt you pulled there…but you're all out of tricks now."

Sasuke turned his red eyes to the men in front of him, stared them down; but Naruto, much to his surprise, only laughed.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," the blonde smirked. As Sasuke glanced back at him, he saw a fist forming in his hand, the blue glow of chakra enveloping it.

"Change of plans, Sasuke—jump!"

Without thinking, the Uchiha did as he was told—and as he shot through the air, he watched as Naruto brought his fist down. With a thunderous crash, the ground shattered like glass as the tremor of the impact cratered the dirt road and sent rocks of the earth shooting up around it.

The bandits moved just in time to evade the rocks, stepping just out of the range of the attack. As Sasuke landed on the ground, he, the enemies, and the few remaining villagers who stayed to watch the battle all stared in shock at the blonde traveller who broke the earth.

"Naruto," Sasuke muttered. "What the…?"

A devilish, mischievous grin flashed across Naruto's face, his eyes narrowing in on the leader of the bandits. "I told you: they caught me off guard."

The boss stepped forward, ahead of subordinates, and snarled at Naruto as he lifted his sword. "Well, now…this is interesting!"

Naruto wasted no time in charging. "You're gonna pay for tying those ropes too tight, bastard!"

Like a flash of lightning he moved through the broken earth to the bandit, who swung his sword down on the blonde to halt his advance—but Naruto dodged into the air, and brought his fist hard. The enemy held his sword high to catch the boy's punch, but to no avail. Naruto, enhanced by his own chakra, shattered the sword, and sent the man crashing into the nearest shop.

"Boss!" the bandits yelled—but their leader soon stepped out of the wooden rubble, blood dripping down from his wicked smirk.

"I got this one…take the other!"

Sasuke, watching it all as if in a dream, fell back to reality as he saw the four bandits approach. The tomoe of his Sharingan spun as he studied their movements. He could see just from a glance that they were nothing special—not agile enough to catch him off guard. Still, there was strength in numbers. He could feel his mother's worried eyes on him from a distance; had to make sure she would be safe…

But in the midst of all the thoughts, he smiled to himself. There was no chance that idiot would show him up.

The bandits charged; but before they could get close, Sasuke broke into a sequence of hand signs. When the last was complete, he brought his right hand up to his mouth and stuck his first two fingers out for guidance. With all the chakra swirling in his lungs he blew outward a massive flame, a giant fireball streaking through the air.

All four enemies dodged the blast, but they scattered to do so. As the earth Naruto shot upwards earlier began to burn, Sasuke saw his chance: he snuck up on the nearest one in the confusion, delivering a fist straight into his gut.

The bandit keeled over, dropping his sword in the process, which Sasuke snatched from the ground. Turning to face the other three, he formed another sign with his free hand, and made his way to the nearest burning rock. He stuck the tip of the sword into the fire, allowing them to travel up the blade.

Second later, he stepped towards his enemies, his new blade coated in flames.

"Alright then," he said. "Come on!"

This time, Sasuke didn't wait. He rushed the enemies, a trail of fire coming off his sword. He went first for the one in the middle, and brought his weapon up and through the blade of the opponent, knocking it out of the man's hands. The Uchiha spun into a kick and sent the bandit to the ground.

The other two came at the same time, and Sasuke stepped back to avoid their slashes. Bursting forward, he stuck his own blade in between the pair of enemies, breaking them one once again. Taking the one on the left, he brought his blade down. The bandit blocked the swing, and the two weapons were locked—but a moment later, the man's blade began to heat, and he dropped it with a grunt. Sasuke elbowed him away just as the final enemy came for him.

Dodging at first, and then trying to parry, he found that this last bandit was the toughest of the subordinates. Finding no openings, Sasuke soon settled for a deadlock, grinding the two swords against each other.

He grimaced. The bandit snarled. Sasuke needed a plan, and quickly.

But then, into his vision came Naruto and the lead bandit, locked in a fist fight. All of a sudden, the boss broke out hand signs, his two palms falling to the ground. A column of earth soon erupted in front of Naruto, shooting into his gut and sending him flying across the town square.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled—but in his distraction, his own enemy broke out of the sword struggle and delivered a heavy fist into his stomach, winding him as he fell to his knees. The bandit pushed him to the ground and sent a blade down into his shoulder.

Sasuke howled in pain as Mikoto, from aways away, felt her heart sink. "Sasuke!" She was angry, ready to join in the fight herself—but Botan held her back.

"It's too dangerous, Mikoto! You can't!"

Both Uchiha were left to watch as the lead bandit walked up to Naruto, who groaned as he struggled to his feet.

"You know," the wicked man said, "I'd really love to kill the both of you—but I hear the Union hands out a pretty coin for troublemaking rogue shinobi…"

Sasuke grit his teeth through the pain shooting down his arm. This wouldn't be enough to stop him—it couldn't be. He was headed for the ASF tomorrow, and no way they would take someone who can't even deal with small-time bandits.

Come on…Move!

But under the weight of the bandit's foot and the blade pinning him to the ground, he was helpless.

He thought then of his brother, Itachi; of his own dreams of helping the world; would he really be denied here, before he even got the chance to see either one?

It was then that his red eyes turned back to Naruto. Much to his surprise, the blonde was not shaken as the head bandit approached—he was laughing.

"Boy," Naruto said, now getting to his knees. "You sure do like to hear yourself talk, don't you?"

The head bandit was irritated, but doubled down as he took a fighting stance. "Save your lip, kid…for after I hand you over to the ASF."

But Naruto, finally rising to his feet, did not back down as he wiped the blood from his mouth. Sasuke noticed that his jacket had come undone in the battle, and saw for the first time a necklace hanging at his chest, a green crystal that glowed in the sunset.

With a fire in his blue eyes, Naruto stared down the bandit with a smile. "Call them!" he said, proudly. "Tell the Shinobi I'm right here—that Naruto Uzumaki is waiting to kick all their asses! Cause I have somewhere I want to go, and until I get there I'm not losing to you, or the ASF!"

The bandit chuckled. "Big words for a brat…"

But Sasuke found something in them, something he had forgotten: many years ago, after his brother had first left home to join the Allied Shinobi Forces, he and his mother received a letter from Itachi. There was much to say—about his work, about places he had seen, about the things he had learned—but his last sentence was the one that had always stuck with Sasuke.

"But I'm finding, the more people I meet, that the only people who do anything in this world are the ones with something to believe in."

And now, all these years later, thanks to an idiot he picked up on the side of the road, Sasuke finally understood what that meant.

His heart renewed, the pain in his shoulder seemed to lessen; and with a turn of his head so that his eyes could meet the one pinning him down, he called up to the man.

"Hey, asshole."

When the bandit turned his eyes to Sasuke's, the Sharingan spun to life, and the genjutsu was cast. Suddenly, the man saw bugs, big ones, crawling up his arms and legs. Releasing a piercing shout, not realizing it was all an illusion, he panicked, abandoning his fallen comrades and his leader and running right out of the village.

Slowly getting to his feet, Sasuke felt the pain coming back into his shoulder, and knew that it was useless to try and fight anymore—so he watched, dark eyes peeled on Naruto.

The leader of the bandits, seeing that he was now alone, growled in frustration. "Dammit! Useless, all of them…" Anger came into his eyes as he turned back to Naruto. "Oh, well…once I hand you in I'll buy myself the best fools around."

"Like I said before," the blonde retorted, "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

The bandit cackled, eyes wild with excitement as he sheathed his sword and plastered his hands together in a sign. "Time to die, kid!"

As his palms hit the ground, Naruto began to weave hand signs of his own—but before he could unleash a jutsu, the earth began to ripple, stone pillars jutting out from the road one after the other in his direction.

"Naruto!" yelled Sasuke. "Look out!"

But Naruto was not fooled by the pillars, and as two began to shoot upwards from underneath his feet, he used the momentum to jump forward into the air.

The bandit looked on in horror as the raging sea in Naruto's eyes fell on him. Suddenly, the blonde turned in midair, shooting his hands out in front of him. A burst of wind blasted him towards the ground, towards the bandit who could only watch as the blue fist came his way.

With a thundering crash and a howl, Naruto's fist slammed the bandit into the ground and crushed the earth beneath them. Dust sprang forth, surrounding the two of them—and when it settled, stillness and the smell of the ocean settling over the town, Naruto was the only one left standing.

He panted, catching his breath as he stared down at the ponytailed man, unconscious. Then, his eyes went to Sasuke, across the road. A wide grin spreading over his face, he gave the Uchiha a thumbs up.

Sasuke stared back, wondering if every day from now on would be this interesting.

He smiled. He sured hoped so.

- I -

"I have to say, Naruto: when Sasuke told me about you earlier, I wasn't expecting you to be so strong."

At Mikoto's comment, Naruto pouted at Sasuke, who sat across from him. "I don't blame you, Mikoto-san—I'm sure he didn't do a good job at describing me."

"Hey," said the dark-haired boy, "I think it was a fair description for someone I found on the side of the road."

Naruto frowned. Mikoto laughed. Sasuke smirked. It had been a long time since the Uchiha family table was this lively. Outside, the night was coming, but the lights of the house allowed the good day to continue. The two boys were both covered in bandages and rubbing alcohol, which Naruto, not much worse for wear, had applied himself; Sasuke, on the other hand, had his arm in a sling, his shoulder still in a world of pain. But in light of what could have been, he decided it was best not to complain.

"Oh, by the way, Naruto," Mikoto began, "I've been meaning to ask you—"

Mikoto's words were cut off by the rumbling of Naruto's stomach, so loud it nearly shook the whole house.

The blonde blushed, embarrassed. "Sorry!" he said quickly.

But Mikoto only laughed. "You would be hungry after all that me go find something I can whip up for you."

"No, no, you don't have to, Mikoto-san!"

"Please, Naruto," she said, "it's the least I can do for you after you helped our village."

Naruto wanted to argue that it wasn't that big of a deal, but he could see that Mikoto wouldn't take no for an answer. "Thank you," he said, and she went into the kitchen.

"Your mom's so nice," he said to Sasuke. "What happened to you?"

"Very funny," said Sasuke, though he did smile at the joke.

Naruto, though, kept watching his mother—and when she ducked down beneath the counter to look for a pot, he leaned in to Sasuke. "Psst! Follow me."

"What?" the Uchiha said. "To where?"

"Just come on, would you!"

And so, in spite of his better judgements, Sasuke quietly followed Naruto out of his own house, hoping his mother wouldn't be too worried when she saw they were gone.

Closing the door behind him, Sasuke turned to see Naruto at the foot of the southern hills that led up to the cliffs. "Come on!" the blonde said, and Sasuke, for some reason, followed.

On the way up the grassy hill, the Uchiha stayed a few steps behind Naruto—and as he looked up to the blonde's back, to the red spiral at the centre of the back of his jacket, Sasuke couldn't help from wondering what this was about.

It was a short walk, but when they reached the top and stopped beside each other, it was as if they boys had entered into a different world. The sun had sunk far below the horizon, but the last of its light was still touching the edge of the sky. At the same time, the stars above them had begun to spring to life in the dark blue sky, and the ocean, shadowed by the coming night, looked calm as its cool breeze touched their skin.

"Sit down," said Naruto, breaking the silence.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it."

Reluctantly, Sasuke did as he was told. And as he sat, crossing his legs beneath him, his injured shoulder suddenly felt warm.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Sasuke saw a light blue glow. Turning his head to see what was happening, he found Naruto's hands hovering over the stab wound, the blonde's chakra flowing into him.

"You're…you're a medic?"

"Well, I'm not the greatest," said Naruto. "But something like this is pretty simple."

His words, Sasuke soon found, were true. In a moment, Naruto removed his hands, and the shoulder was almost as good as new. He stretched it, moved it every which way. There was a bit of pain, but it was much, much better—as if two weeks of healing had happened in an instant.

"Wow," the Uchiha said, getting back to his feet. "Thanks."

The two stood shoulder-to-shoulder once again, and, being the same height, knew that they were seeing the same scene before them.

"I lived by the sea when I was a kid." said Naruto, stepping forward. His eyes, staring out over the water, looked like they had come from the waves. "There were no cliffs, though—just a beach, right on the shore. And you could go in…feel the water on your skin."

"That sounds nice," Sasuke said, imagining it; but soon, a question came to him.

"What happened?"

Naruto was silent for a moment before turning around, a sad smile on his lips. "The village was raided. By the ASF."

Sasuke, somehow, had already known what the answer would be—but his eyes fell now, his lips pursed.

"Now when I look out over the ocean," said Naruto, "I can't help from turning around. Cause the things I want aren't out over the sea, ya know? They're somewhere out there…"

Sasuke turned to follow his gaze north: far past Omikan Village, far past the Indra Archipelago. Naruto, he knew, was looking to Konoha.

"You're from there," said Sasuke. "You're from Konoha. Aren't you?"

Naruto smiled. "Yup. Of course…I was only a baby when it was destroyed, so it's not like I remember it—but that's why I want to go back. To see what kind of place it was."

Sasuke let those words hang in the air for a moment, trying to understand—but all he could do was shake his head. "Why?" he asked. "What good is looking at ruins?"

Naruto looked at him quizzically. "Don't you want to know where you come from?"

Stepping forward to join Naruto, Sasuke kept his dark eyes on the twilight, on the ocean that stretched out farther than he could see.

"For me," he said, "Omikan is my home. It's all I've ever known. I'm sorry for what happened to you, and for what the ASF did—but this ocean, to me, is still something worth fighting for. These peaceful days I've had here at the edge of the world…everyone should be able to have those."

Naruto closed his eyes as Sasuke spoke, a grin coming over his face.

"That's why I'm joining the ASF," said Sasuke, resolute in his decision. "So I can make this world a better place."

In the dark glow of the twilight, the two boys stood beside each other. Their eyes, both filled with fire, looked out on two different dreams; two different futures…

Naruto walked forward, back towards Omikan. He stopped when the hill back down to the village began, and turned his head back to Sasuke.

"Then the next time we meet," said Naruto, smirking, "we'll be enemies."

Sasuke looked back, the same determined expression on his face. "Right."

The shadow of night began to fall, and Naruto flickered away into the darkness. Sasuke remained standing by the cliff's edge for a while; soon, though, Mikto arrived at the top of the hill, calling for him.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, are you up h—oh!"

He turned back to his mother, who came over to him as she looked around. "Where's Naruto?" she asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine—but Naruto's gone."

"Gone?" said Mikoto. "Where to?"

"Konoha, probably."

"K-Konoha?" Mikoto sighed, exasperated. "After I made those onigiri…"

Sasuke just laughed, but he watched as his mother slowly turned north.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," she said. "He's just like his mother, after all…"

Sasuke froze, confused. "Mother…?'

Mikoto smiled. "It's a long story—now come on. I know your stomach was rumbling, too."

"I-it was not!" Sasuke protested, but his mother took his arm and brought him down the grassy hill. The sound of the dark waves crashed behind them, and the stars were shining bright.

But the twilight had gone.

- I -

It was early the next morning as Sasuke took a look at his room for the last time, a dark cloak over his shoulders and a drawstring bag slung over his back. The sunrise was creeping in through his window, lighting up the dust as it already began to settle over everything.

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. And then, on the exhale, he was gone.

He went through the house as quietly as he could, tip-toeing down the stairs and looking around every corner on the main level: empty. Just as he wanted it.

He stepped out of the house, closed the door softly behind him, and said his final, silent goodbyes to the only home he had ever known before he turned around to go on his way.

"Your brother did the same thing, you know."

Sasuke froze. He didn't quite have the heart to turn around and face his mother, who stood in the doorway with tired eyes and a burgundy robe covering her nightgown.

"And that night, in Konoha…your father did the same."

The boy let his head fall, feeling guilty over what he had planned to do, relieved that it hadn't worked.

Mikoto stepped out into the road now, one hand behind her back. When she reached her son, he turned around, eyes sad.

"Mom…I'm sorry, I—"

"Don't be," she said. "I get it. It's easier to not say anything than to say goodbye. But I just had to see you off…" Her hand went to Sasuke's cheek, and she smiled warmly. "I just had to tell you how proud I am of you."

"Mom…"

"Oh! And before I forget."

Mikoto pulled her other hand out from behind her back and held it out between her and Sasuke. Held gently in her fingers was a long, thin piece of cloth with a rectangular steel plate in its centre with the insignia of a leaf carved into it.

"Happy Birthday."

Sasuke could only stare at it for a moment. "Is…is that…?"

"I gave your father's to Itachi, so you'll have to settle for mine, but—"

Mikoto's words fell away as Sasuke wrapped his arms around her. His sobs rang in her ear.

"Mom…I love you. I'm gonna miss you so much."

All she could do was cling onto his shirt and smile as the tears came to her. "I love you, too. Promise me you'll write sometimes, okay? And say hi to your brother for me."

The two broke apart, tearful smiles on both their faces. Sasuke nodded as he took the headband in his hand, gripping it tightly.

"Right. I will."

Mikoto wiped her tears. "Take care, Sasuke."

Sasuke took one last look at his mother and his home, and, oddly enough, found in them the strength to turn around and be on his way.

And as he moved down the street and through the village, the sounds and smells of the ocean washing over him, Sasuke Uchiha said goodbye to Omikan, and was on his way.

"The only people who do anything in this world are the ones with something to believe in."

The sun was bright. The air was cool. He was at peace.

Sasuke Uchiha had something to believe in.

And in the forest outside of the village, waking up with the morning light in his face, Naruto Uzumaki got to his feet, alive, and ready.

"Alright. Let's do this!"

TO BE CONTINUED


a/n: Hi everyone!

So I've really gotten tired of author's notes at this point cause most of the time I just feel like I'm making up things to say, so I'll keep this short.

This is, obviously, not the normal world of Naruto. Kurama destroying Konoha had created a pretty different set of circumstances. So I think it goes without saying that pretty much is liable to be changed. For the most part, I'm trying to keep characters and plot lines consistent with what they were at the time of the Nine-Tails attack, but there will be some truly AU elements later down the line.

If you've noticed, Naruto here is fifteen years old, but is wearing his jacket from Part One of canon. Just imagine it's been re-tailored or something lol.

And finally, as I'm sure you've noticed there will probably be a shitload of original locations in this story. I'm going to try to keep the original characters to a minimum, but if I do happen to create any they're probably not going to be important (sorry Botan :/).

Anyway, that's all for now. I'm almost positive future chapters will not be 8000 words, but who can say. So I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and thank you very much for reading :)