Sunshine and a Lie
Summary: The greatest lie ever told in Naruto, is not that Itachi killed his clan to test himself or Obito's death, Madara's schemes or Zetsu's over extended plot to murder his nephews. The greatest lie was that Naruto loved Hinata.
It was a cold evening in Konoha.
Naruto was still in his office, his back to the window where the moon shone bright and cool. His office itself only had the moon and the glow of his computer to illuminate the darkened space.
He has his clones scurry around Konoha and the Administration building, working hard through the night. His hands paused from typing on his computer, sparing a thought to his wife and his children. "They're probably asleep already. Might as well continue working."
It sounded like an excuse, even to him.
There was a shift in the shadows, a burst of familiar and beloved chakra. And as if the god of death itself was showing its face, his best friend's face melted out of the darkness of his office. Naruto readily offered a grand smile at his genin teammate. "Hey, you didn't tell me you were coming home."
"Hn." Sasuke's customary answer.
This brought out a bright laugh from Naruto. "Man, still with the Uchiha grunts. Good thing me and Sakura are used to translating for you." Naruto's smile was stretched ear to ear.
But Sasuke just stared at his old teammate. He has known Naruto for a long time; you could say they've known each other since before they were both born. They were the incarnations of Asura and Indra... of Hashirama and Madara. They were, in a sense, soulmates. Brothers from one life to the other; always destined to meet, and grow, and destroy each other.
"Stop it." Sasuke's tone held a tinge of anger, of rage, of sorrow. Naruto, who ought to shine brighter than the sun, was now just a well-preserved sunflower. It just looks nice, but you know its long past whatever prime it had. They were both 30 years old and past their primes in Shinobi terms.
If you were an average shinobi; by the age of 30, one is either dead, incapacitated or retired. Once you go past the age of 30, as an active shinobi; you're considered to be on the way to legendary. But for the two of them, they've been legends since their genin days.
And while Sasuke knows his place in the shadows; to keep a watchful eye over the Shinobi of the world... Naruto was supposed to spearhead into the future, pulling everyone along into sunshine and prosperity. Looking at Konoha and the other nations; they were hurtling towards an uncertain future but one that was paved by the blood of their generation and the ones before.
The world was moving forward with lightning speed, but it looked like Naruto was dragging behind pushing the world forward instead of leading it. The eyebags that should never have existed. The sad and tired slump of his shoulders. The non-existent loud voice that had persisted through his rough childhood and turbulent teenage years.
For Sasuke, the man sitting in the seat of his best friend was a stranger; not a complete stranger, but a stranger that he thought he once knew.
After a minute of silence and Naruto's clenching fists stopped typing on his computer; the 7th Hokage offered a weak chuckle to his soul brother. "Yeah, I suppose I should stop working and sleep." Naruto stood up, cracked his neck and stretch his back. He'd been slumped over his desk for hours now.
As Naruto was about to turn to a side door to his office, Sasuke spoke up again. "Why won't you go home to her?"
And Naruto froze.
Naruto, in all the years he'd known Sasuke, somehow knew that his best friend was going to confront him about this. Sasuke has been lingering more and more around Konoha lately. When before he'd spent months and years away from Konoha but now he's seen around the village every few weeks.
Naruto liked to think his best friend was finally settling down, like he did.
Naruto laughed sheepishly, hand instinctively scratching the back of his head. "Well, Hinata-chan and the kids should be asleep by now. I don't want to wake them up or something..."
For Sasuke, it was painful watching Naruto at that moment. It was reminiscent to the fake smiles his best friend offered as a child. Wasn't it supposed to be better now? For the both of them? "Stop lying. Why won't you go home to her?"
They both heard the crack that was Naruto biting down so hard, he cracked a tooth. And yet, Naruto maintained the large smile he'd previously cast and offered his best friend. Then, suddenly, Naruto was facing away from Sasuke and facing the window overlooking Konoha. Smile gone and expression feigning indifference but looked more like a grimace.
It was silent.
For Sasuke; Naruto and Silence were two words that aren't supposed to exist together.
"Why did you marry her?"
"I love her."
For a moment, it was as if the world was swallowed by darkness. As if Kaguya and Madara and Zetsu's mad dreams was the truth of their waking world, and their current life, the farce. Sasuke's chakra flared bright and loud; startling the shinobi of Konoha awake; that even non-sensory shinobi could feel the sudden cold of righteous anger.
Naruto's familiar chakra then soon enveloped his village; calming his shinobi to go back to sleep or to whatever they were doing previously.
Naruto's eyes, dull and cold were looking straight at Sasuke's bright Sharingan and Rin'negan glare from that glass that Naruto was still facing. "That was dangerous Sasuke."
"I don't care." For a moment, Sasuke didn't speak. "That is... the worst lie you've ever told." And to Sasuke, it was. I was the worse lie that Naruto ever told because Naruto was a great liar, even as a child...
And the brittle smile Naruto had for Sasuke was all the answer his brother... his soulmate needed.
