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Hope is a Selfish Thing
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Why? Why would you go so far for me?
Sasuke had asked that once. Just a little before he had left Naruto for dead.
"Because, for me, it was the first bond I'd ever had" Naruto had answered.
Why? Why would you go so far for him?
Others had asked after witnessing Naruto beaten and battered in his mission to bring Sasuke home.
"Because I made a promise of a lifetime and I won't take back my word. That's my ninja way."
Why? Why would I go so far for him?
Naruto would ask himself on sleepless nights. The answers he gave everyone else couldn't quite satisfy him. It remained an ungraspable truth that tugged annoyingly at his brain.
Respect for Naruto had grown from those who knew of his self-imposed mission. Hell, Naruto nearly had himself convinced that he was selfless when it came to Sasuke. But deep in his subconscious, in a place that he could only glimpse in that strange state between dream and reality, he's still the little kid who wanted something, anything, for himself.
'But really, from the beginning, I had wanted to be like you.'
Naruto had to bring Sasuke back. He had to believe there was still hope for Sasuke. Because if he didn't, it would mean that his role-model, his aspiration, was nothing more than an idol of clay. And his own identity would shatter and disappear with the wind.
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Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Your thoughts are appreciated.