A/N: Holy cow, two chapters in one day?! Believe me when I say it was fun hammering this one out. Cookie to anyone who catches the (rather obvious) references.
Nope, still don't own Naruto.
Chapter IV: Awake
A few days had passed since Naruto was brought back by Kakashi. He hadn't stirred, save for a few twitches and some groans. His teammates and sensei breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that he wasn't catatonic, but the fact that he had been out for longer than they had anticipated was a bit concerning. Though he usually healed remarkably quickly thanks to the Nine Tails' chakra, Naruto seemed to be recovering at a slower pace, even after being aided by Shizune's treatments.
Sasuke and Kakashi had been aiding in the village reconstruction efforts with Yamato, while Sakura was assisting Shizune and tending to the wounded. Admittedly, Yamato was doing a bulk of the work. His Mokuton was immensely useful, given that he could quite literally create full structures using only his chakra, so he became an invaluable tool. Kakashi and Sasuke had been relegated to basic construction work alongside civilians and shinobi alike.
The trio had always found time to visit Naruto at the end of each day to see him and check in with Shizune. By this point he had bandages wrapped around his eyes, his headband sat folded next to his head. Sasuke, Kakashi, and Sakura would usually spend their time reminiscing and discussing the progress of reconstruction while they visited Naruto. They knew he couldn't hear them, but just being in his presence made them feel like they were still a complete team. Still, they couldn't help but worry about him, and each of them had quietly hoped he would wake up soon.
There were no dreams. There were no voices. There was no mindscape. There was no fox. There was no cage. There was no beginning. There was no end. There was only darkness. There was only silence.
Naruto heard muffled voices as he stirred. He recognized the voices of Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura. There was a fourth voice that he hadn't heard in a while. 'Shizune? What's she doing here?' He wondered. He noticed was that laying on a small futon. His head hurt, feeling like he had taken one of Tsunade's punches. He groaned as he sat up; the voices silenced immediately. He tried to open his eyes, only to find that he couldn't.
Sakura threw her arms around the blond. "You're awake," she breathed. Naruto returned her hug as he nodded into her shoulder.
Sasuke put a hand on his friend's shoulder after Sakura let go. "About time you came around, blockhead," he quipped. Naruto threw a scowl in the direction of Sasuke's voice, which was chased by his signature foxy grin.
"Welcome back, Naruto," Kakashi greeted, his tone carrying laid back delight. Naruto could practically see his eye crinkle in his signature smile.
"Thanks, sensei," he said warmly. He felt a soft hand ruffle his hair, followed by a familiar voice.
"Good to see you're awake and able to sit up on your own. How do you feel?" Shizune asked.
"I feel okay. My head kinda hurts, but I don't feel weak or sick or anything," Naruto explained. "But I can't see. I tried to open my eyes earlier, but they wouldn't, well, open. What gives?" Shizune gently took his hand and led it up to his temple, letting him feel the bandages that were wrapped around his eyes.
Naruto's breath hitched. "What the hell? What happened to my eyes? Am I blind?!" He started to panic before Shizune took his hand once more.
"Calm down, it's alright. You're not blind. Your eyes were just…injured, so we needed to wrap them to make sure they heal properly," she explained. Naruto could hear the undertones of secrecy in her tone and the way she hesitated.
Naruto pursed his lips, throwing Shizune a look of doubt. "What do you mean 'injured'?" He asked, forming air quotes over the last word.
She was about to answer before Kakashi cleared his throat to get Naruto's attention. "We were actually hoping you'd be able to tell us that, Naruto," he began. "Your eyes were injured when I found you, you see."
Naruto sat and pondered for a moment. He turned to Kakashi's general direction. "Wait, just how long was I out for?" He asked.
He was met with silence before he heard Sakura speak up in a soft, sympathetic voice, "You were asleep for nine days." Naruto's jaw hit the floor. If his eyes weren't bandaged shut, no doubt they would be the size of dinner plates. He sat in silence for a moment, poring over what Sakura had told him. He'd only ever been unconscious if he was seriously injured. This seemingly minor injury shouldn't have knocked him out for nine whole days.
His train of thought was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto, can you tell us what you remember before you woke up?" Kakashi gently asked.
Naruto gave a small nod. "I found the guy controlling Pain. His name was Nagato. I remember him using a jutsu that I'd never heard of. His friend said that it would revive everyone he killed. He mentioned something about hatred and pain and war, and how I would face something in time. Then he told me that he believed I could bring true peace," he explained. He paused for a moment as he set his hands down in his lap. "After that, I remember the world spinning, then everything went dark," he said quietly. He felt Sakura grip his hand and squeeze to reassure him. He returned the gesture, a small smile tugging at his mouth.
Kakashi sighed. Sakura gently laid Naruto down as Shizune made her way to him. She laid her hands over his eyes, channeling healing chakra into them. Naruto felt a tingling sensation in his eye sockets. He laid still as he felt the healing chakra enter his system. Shizune inwardly sighed in relief, knowing that this was the last session he would need.
Naruto felt Shizune's hands leave his head. He sat up again, scratching the back of his head, avoiding the bandages. "So, how bad is it? How much longer will I have these bandages over my eyes?" Naruto asked anxiously. He was worried that his vision would be impaired, which would mean his abilities as a shinobi would be blunted, which would mean he wouldn't be as strong as he would need to be to protect people.
His trepidation only increased when he was met with silence, the air thick with anticipation. He flinched when he felt hands reach behind his head, but relaxed as soon as they started to unwrap the bandages. He sat still with bated breath as the last of the bandages were carefully peeled away from his face.
"Can you open your eyes, Naruto?" Shizune gently asked. Naruto slowly opened his eyes to see Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, and Shizune all sitting in front of him in an arc, their eyes wide. They all let out a gasp as he fully opened his eyes. Shizune and Sakura both brought their hands up to their chest, Sasuke activated his Sharingan out of instinct, and Kakashi simply stared at him wide-eyed.
Naruto blinked a few times. He could see perfectly fine. In fact, he could see even better than before. The world looked sharper; minute details were suddenly more noticeable. He cocked his head to one side, eyeing the people in front of him.
"Uh…is…something wrong? I can see perfectly fine, in fact I can kinda see better than before," he explained while he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.
"I…think you'd better see for yourself, Naruto," Kakashi said slowly. He gestured to Sakura, who went through a couple of hand seals before a sheet of ice materialized in front of him, its surface instantly polishing to a mirror finish. Naruto looked at his reflection, seeing the purple eyes widening to the size of dinner plates before he let out a yelp and jumped back.
"Wh-wh-what the fuck happened to my eyes?! Why are they purple?! Why do they look like that?! What happened to my blue eyes?! WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Naruto was hysterical and on the verge of hyperventilating. The ice mirror instantly melted, revealing Sakura wordlessly lunging towards Naruto, her hand pulled back. Her open palm met his left cheek with a loud slap, snapping him out of his hysteria. Naruto went stiff as a board, his gaze focused on Sakura, who despite her stony expression held concern in her emerald eyes.
Naruto took a deep breath, regaining his composure. "Thanks. I…needed that. Can…you make another small mirror, Sakura? I want to look at my eyes some more," he said quietly. Sakura nodded and made a small ice mirror in front of him. He stared at his reflection, examining his muted purple eyes with thin, black concentric circles, looking like ripples. He used his fingers to gently pull down his lower eyelid to see just how far the purple and ripples went. His entire eye was the same shade of muted purple save for where his iris would be, which was slightly darker than the rest of his eye and outlined with a thin black circle. The narrow, black pupils gave his new eyes a more unsettling appearance. He found himself feeling a little creeped out by just how intense his gaze was now. He turned to Kakashi. "This isn't a genjutsu or a transformation, is it?" He had a feeling it wasn't either, but he was secretly hoping that this was just some kind of high level genjutsu that not even his sensei could break.
Kakashi shook his head dejectedly. "Unfortunately, it isn't. I had thought the same thing when I first found you and examined your eyes. I even checked with my Sharingan, but found no signs of any genjutsu or transformation. Even if it was a high-level transformation, it would have released as soon as Shizune started healing you," Kakashi explained.
Naruto gave a small nod in response. "So, just what exactly is up with my eyes? What are they?" He asked. 'Why do I feel like I've seen these eyes before? They seem so…familiar,' Naruto thought. The sense of déjà vu was part of the reason he had nearly slipped into hysterics earlier, aside from the fact that his own blue eyes were gone and replaced by whatever these eyes are.
"Well, put simply, they're a dōjutsu; not unlike Sasuke's Sharingan or the Hyūga's Byakugan. Yours is called the Rinnegan," Kakashi explained.
Naruto cocked his head. "If they're a dōjutsu, how come I can't turn them on and off like the Sharingan or the Byakugan?"
Kakashi raised his pointer finger upwards, meeting Naruto's inquisitive gaze with his own half-lidded one. "Your Rinnegan is different from either of those. One of the main differences being that it's always active; meaning you can't necessarily 'turn it off' like the Sharingan or the Byakugan," he began. "Not only that, but the Rinnegan are one of if not the most powerful dōjutsu. Those eyes you've got are really quite special," he finished jovially.
Naruto beamed and shot Sasuke a wry, foxy grin. "Looks like you're gonna need to step your dōjutsu game up, duckbutt," he teased.
"Tch, as if you'd be able to keep up, dummy," Sasuke shot back with a smirk.
"Not only are they powerful," Kakashi interrupted, throwing the two chūnin a knowing look. "They're also very rare. I've only ever heard of two people possessing the Rinnegan, and only ever seen one other person with them; aside from you, Naruto."
Naruto swallowed as a knot formed in his stomach. "Who are the others?" He asked, his voice thick with trepidation. A sense of dread was seeping its way into him, as his mind started putting some of the pieces together. He had recognized the Rinnegan because he had seen it before; he just didn't want to believe it, didn't want to remember.
Kakashi's gaze was unwavering as he spoke evenly, "The first was a man known as the Sage of Six Paths. He's more of a myth or legend, and is said to be the ancestor of all shinobi. He was also the first and, until recently, only wielder of the Rinnegan. The second one was…well…"
Naruto let out a quivering sigh. "Pain," he finished quietly. Kakashi nodded in response. "No wonder they seemed so familiar. Pain and Nagato had these exact eyes. But why do I have them? I'm not sure about my mom but my dad didn't have any dōjutsu, at least as far as I could tell," the blond stated. He winced as he realized what he had just unintentionally revealed about his parentage.
Kakashi's eye narrowed as the rest of the group looked at the blond with perplexity. "And just how would you know that your father didn't have any dōjutsu, exactly?" Kakashi probed, his tone bearing an edge that was usually reserved for scolding.
Team 7 collectively flinched at Kakashi's tone. Naruto averted his eyes down to the sheets in front of him, avoiding his sensei's stern gaze. "I…well…I, uh…I met him…" he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck once again.
"You…met your father?" Kakashi asked, his tone softening to one of concerned curiosity.
Naruto gave a small nod. "I remember laying on my back in my mindscape after I started seeing red, and then the Nine Tails started talking to me, saying stuff about how he could take away my suffering; tempting me and stuff. He told me I just needed to remove the seal on the cage that was holding him. I…I nearly did it. I was about to remove it when someone caught me and snapped me out of what I was doing. The fox called him the Fourth Hokage. He…he knew my name, he said he named me, said I was his son. That's when it clicked that the Fourth Hokage was my dad. He fixed the seal on my stomach, and after that I left my mindscape," he explained, his voice breaking at the mention of his father. He felt tears stinging the corners of his eyes as he looked back up to see that Kakashi's gaze had softened. The rest of the group, even Sasuke, wore sympathetic expressions. They all knew how much it meant to Naruto that he finally knew who his father was after so many years.
"Minato Namikaze," Kakashi said wistfully. "He was my sensei, and one of the greatest men I've ever had the privilege of knowing," he said quietly, a far off look in his eye. He turned his gaze back to his student. "Naruto, your father loved you. More than anything; more than life," he said with sincerity. Naruto could have sworn he saw Kakashi's eye glistening.
He nodded in response, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "So, like I was saying, since I'm fairly sure I don't have a bloodline, there's no way I awakened my eyes like Sasuke awakened his Sharingan back when we were genin," he reasoned before Sakura cleared her throat.
"There's something you should know, Naruto. When Kakashi-sensei brought you back, I checked your injuries to see how bad they were, and I noticed something a little…odd about them," she began, taking a deep breath. "Your injuries weren't consistent with anything that could have been done with a kunai or someone ripping your eyes out with their bare hands. It felt like someone had used a scalpel to carefully cut your optic nerves and ocular muscles. Not only that, the cuts made had been partially healed before you got here," she explained to an enrapt Naruto.
"Truth be told, the fact that you were healed before you got here is very likely the reason your sense of sight was saved," Shizune chimed in. "If the person that healed you hadn't controlled the bleeding and done what they did, it's possible you would be blind right now." Naruto shuddered at the thought of losing his sense of sight because of a botched field surgery. He silently thanked the heavens for his abundant luck before giving a nod of understanding.
Kakashi brought a hand to his chin, his head cocking to one side as he pondered. He returned his attention back to his blond student, his half-lidded gaze unwavering. "This may be a bit of a stretch, but I think it's worth considering that Pain, or rather Nagato, might have given you his Rinnegan. Given that you don't remember anything after your conversation with him, the fact that your 'wounds' were more consistent with a field surgery, and that they had been healed slightly before I found you, I think it's a possibility worth considering," Kakashi theorized. This earned him a puzzled stare from everyone in the tent, but as Naruto mulled it over for a moment, he began to see his sensei's reasoning.
"Maybe his friend had something to do with it. I think her name was Kanao? No that's not it…Korra? No…Konan! Her name was Konan. She had pretty blue hair and amber eyes. Now that I think about it, I think I remember Nagato saying something to Konan before I went unconscious," Naruto said as his teammates sighed in exasperation at his shoddy memory. It was to be expected, given that he was asleep for nine days after being knocked unconscious, but they hadn't expected him to fumble over the name that much after clearly remembering Nagato's name.
"Well, your eyes seem to be functioning just fine, and you can move your arms just fine. Do you think you can stand up on your own?" Shizune spoke up after Naruto's stumbling. He nodded with a grin. Shizune removed the IV needle from his arm before she helped him up. Naruto let out an exaggerated sigh at the feeling of finally being able to stretch his legs. Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi stood up with the blond. Sakura gave Naruto another hug, which he returned. Sasuke held out his fist, which Naruto bumped, exchanging friendly smirks with each other. Kakashi gave him a familiar smile, which he returned with his foxy grin.
"So, how's the village? Is reconstruction coming along okay?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah, Captain Yamato has been busting his ass with his Mokuton creating buildings like houses, apartment complexes, and government buildings. He's got most of the area covered by now, I think," Sasuke answered. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. He knew Yamato's Mokuton could create structures, but he didn't realize that he was able to create actual livable buildings, too.
Naruto hung his head as his thoughts meandered to the Hyūga girl that had put herself between him and Pain. "What about…Hinata? Is…is she okay? Is she alive?"
Sakura gently took his hand in hers. "She's okay. The rod she was stabbed with missed her vital organs. She's just resting," she reassured with a soft voice.
Naruto gave a small nod. "Thank the heavens," he breathed. He was grateful to the pale-eyed girl, but he felt a pang of guilt knowing that she put herself in harm's way for his sake.
"And Granny? Is she okay?" The blond asked as he raised his head, concern written on his face.
"Lady Tsunade is still unconscious," Shizune said quietly, her head hanging slightly. "Summoning Katsuyu to protect everyone in the village during Pain's attack left her pretty exhausted. She's stable, but she needs more rest before her chakra levels return to normal," she explained, her voice carrying an undertone of sadness. Naruto nodded somberly.
"At least she's alive. She's tough; she'll wake up soon, I just know it," he stated confidently. Shizune and Sakura both regarded him with small smiles.
'There's that trademark optimism of his,' Sakura mused. She knew that his optimism would be much needed in the coming days, so she was glad he retained that despite everything.
Naruto's stomach growled audibly. Kakashi quickly tossed Naruto a ration bar. The blond examined the silver-wrapped parcel before shrugging and tearing it open to dig in. It was dry, but after not eating for over a week, he didn't care. It wasn't ramen, but it would do for now.
"Say, do you know if Ichiraku has been rebuilt yet? I would kill for a bowl of miso char siu ramen right now," Naruto said, drooling at the thought of his own personal ambrosia.
"I think I saw something in the shape of a ramen stall on my way over here, but I don't think it's open just yet," Sasuke answered. He would never admit it, but over the years he had come to really enjoy the company of Teuchi and Ayame; they were good people. Their shoyu seafood ramen wasn't half bad either. The only thing that could have made it better would be if they offered tomatoes as a side dish.
Naruto pouted at the cruel reality of his favorite place in the world not being open yet, but he understood that things take time. He turned to his sensei as an idea popped into his head. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, do you think it would be possible for you to help me train to use my Rinnegan? You have a Sharingan, which is a dōjutsu, so," he inquired.
Kakashi brought a hand to his chin, mulling his student's question over for a moment. "Well, I can certainly try. But like I said earlier, the Rinnegan is different from the Sharingan. However, as your sensei I'll do my best, given my limited knowledge," he said reassuringly.
Naruto was about to burst out of the medical tent before Kakashi silently put a hand up for him to stop. The blond cocked his head, miffed at the denial of his exit. "What gives? Shouldn't I be training with these new eyes of mine?" He asked indignantly.
Kakashi regarded his student with his usual half-lidded stare. "While it's good that you're so eager to train again and get even stronger, it's important to consider your circumstances," he explained sagely. "Firstly, you just woke up after being asleep for nine days. I know you say you feel fine, but it's best that you ease into training and let your body get accustomed to your eyes, which I'm certain feel different than before," he explained. Naruto nodded in response. "Speaking of which, your new eyes are to be kept secret. Nobody besides the people in this tent and Lady Tsunade are to know about them. As far as I'm concerned, they're an S-class secret unless Lady Tsunade says otherwise," he said with finality.
Naruto considered his sensei's words. 'I guess he's right, I'm pretty sure nobody knows I have the Rinnegan, and who knows what could happen if word got out that I did. Heaven forbid Kabuto comes after me. Or worse…' His thoughts trailed off as he shuddered at the idea of someone coming after him simply for his eyes. Never mind the fact that he was the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox.
"So how do I keep my eyes a secret? My hair isn't exactly long enough for me to hide my eyes, especially not with my headba—" Kakashi quickly produced a pair of sunglasses that resembled the ones worn by the Aburame clan. Naruto glanced between the sunglasses and the silver-haired cyclops; a perplexed expression plastered on his face. "Sunglasses? Really? Why not a transformation or a genjutsu?" He asked.
"Even with your chakra reserves, you still aren't good at genjutsu, and holding the transformation would be a constant drain on your chakra. That, and…well, frankly, anybody above a genin would be able to see through either," Kakashi explained, a little too cheerfully.
Naruto nervously chuckled at the bluntness of his sensei. He may be tactless at times, but he's right when he's right. He took the sunglasses and put them on. Interestingly, the sunglasses didn't darken his vision as he thought. Rather, they seemed to act more as one-way mirrors: letting him see out but not letting others see in.
"Now then," Kakashi began as he regarded his three students. "I think it's safe to say that we all ought to go get some rest. Even with the village being mostly rebuilt for the time being, we still need to provide security and assist with construction. That, and I'm sure you all are eager to spend some time together now that Naruto is awake. I'll see you all tomorrow," he finished with a masked smile before he exited the tent.
The chūnin of Team 7 thanked Shizune before setting out together, walking through the village and seeing how reconstruction was coming along. Naruto had remembered Hiruzen mentioning the Will of Fire in passing, which he shrugged off as some proverb that old geezers used when talking about whatever old people talked about; but seeing the way the village was coming together to rebuild the village had made him realize that the Will of Fire was something that really did exist in the people of Konoha.
People had begun recognizing Naruto despite his sunglasses. Word had gotten around that he was the one who had beaten Pain and saved the village. He wasn't used to positive attention after being the village pariah for so many years, but he had to admit that it felt nice not to have dirty looks shot at him every time he passed by someone. He responded politely to everyone who had greeted him and thanked him, albeit a little sheepishly. Having Sakura and Sasuke there with him helped him not feel too awkward.
Sasuke led the way, since he was the one most involved with aiding in the construction. The trio had talked the whole way towards the residential district, parting ways once Sakura was near her home. Sasuke led them to Naruto's newly rebuilt apartment complex, which didn't look nearly as shoddy as he remembered it. Some parts could do with a coat of paint, but it was shaping up to be a rather nice complex.
"Well, here we are. It's in the same place, so you know where to go. I'll see you later, Naruto," Sasuke said before he handed him a key and headed off in the opposite direction of Naruto's apartment complex. Naruto waved goodbye before he stepped into his new old apartment.
"Huh. It seems roomier than I remember," he thought aloud. He shrugged and chalked it up to the generosity of the village populace. It was astounding how quickly things were being rebuilt. His apartment already had furniture, a coat of paint, and electricity, to boot. Naruto looked in the cupboards, hoping to find some food (preferably some instant ramen), only to be met with the empty stare of the back paneling of said cupboards. He let out an audible groan. He shouldn't be too surprised; no doubt, the village was sustaining itself on the food banks it had set aside for natural disasters, so food would be scarcer than they were used to until things got back up and running. "Still, you would think that non-perishables would be in abundance," he muttered to himself.
He realized he was still wearing his sunglasses and removed them, setting them on his kitchen table. He decided to head to the bathroom to examine his new eyes further. Naruto stared at his reflection, finding it hard to recognize himself. The purple ringed orbs were so foreign on his face, their intense gaze unwavering. 'This is gonna take some getting used to…' he thought as he let out a sigh. Despite the bizarre appearance of the Rinnegan, his eyes still communicated some degree of emotion. He could tell that his eyes displayed the confusion he was feeling about his old blue eyes being replaced by these relics of power. He stared at himself for a few moments more, trying to sort through the cacophony of thoughts whirling through his mind. He let out another sigh before heading towards his bedroom.
Naruto sat himself down on his bed, pondering what had happened during his fight with Nagato and afterwards. He figured that Nagato must have had something to do with this; he was the last person to have possessed the Rinnegan, after all. The only question was: what exactly did he do? He couldn't have done much. He was practically on death's door even before he used the Rinne Tensei. Naruto rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He thought about his father, the Fourth Hokage: Minato Namikaze. He didn't see any dōjutsu when he met him in his mindscape. Then again, he wasn't sure if the souls of the dead still retained their dōjutsu when they passed on, or in his father's case, sealed a portion of their chakra within their son.
His thoughts drifted towards his mother. Naruto shut his eyes as he felt the beginnings of tears forming. He knew who his father was, at long last; but still his heart ached. For as long as he could remember, he had wanted to know who his mother was. He wanted to know if she loved him. Despite not knowing her, he knew that deep down he loved her. He wondered if maybe the Rinnegan came from her; maybe it was her bloodline. He shook his head, remembering the conversation he had with Kakashi. Still, some part of him hoped that his eyes were a gift from his mother.
Naruto's train of thought was interrupted as he heard his apartment door being opened. His eyes snapped open as he sprung up off his bed, jogging towards his living room. His jaw went slack as he beheld the last Uchiha of Konoha taking his sandals off, a bag slung over his shoulder. Naruto could see scrolls peeking out of the top of the bag. Sasuke took notice of his teammate, turning to the blond with an even gaze as Naruto stared at him incredulously.
"Sasuke? What are you doing here? How did you get in?"
"The door," Sasuke replied plainly.
Naruto groaned. "I mean how did you open the door?"
"With the doorknob. I turned it with my hand," the Uchiha explained dryly.
Naruto slapped his hand against his forehead, growing more irritated. "I meant how the hell did you unlock the door to my apartment, wiseass."
"This," Sasuke stated as he held up a key.
Naruto's brow furrowed as he frowned at his teammate. "Why the fuck do you have a key to my apartment, Uchiha?" He spat.
Sasuke maintained his gaze, his onyx eyes unmoving. He had one hell of a poker face. "It's not just your apartment, Uzumaki," he said evenly.
Naruto's eyes narrowed as his brow furrowed even further. His mouth moved, but he found no words. He stood there looking like a fish out of water.
"I live here, too, moron," Sasuke stated flatly.
Naruto cocked his head; his jaw went slack as his brow furrowed even further. He was utterly speechless.
Sasuke rolled his eyes as he let out a vexed sigh. "I'm moving in with you, you great lummox," he said, his tone only showing slight irritation that the blond was unable to put two and two together.
Naruto's head straightened as his face went from one of irritation to one of curiosity. "You're moving in with me? But why? Why not stay in the Uchiha compound like you had been?"
"Well, I was considering it. But the fact of the matter is that that place has a lot of memories; not all of them are good, either," Sasuke explained.
Naruto nodded, processing his response. Sasuke had a point; it was just shy of a miracle he hadn't had a full-on nervous breakdown from living in a ghost town. He knew Sasuke loved his mother dearly, and her memory was likely one of the few that kept him afloat. Naruto had always made it a point to visit him at the Uchiha compound now and again, or to invite him over to his place for tea or just to talk.
"I think it's time I let that part of my past go," Sasuke began. "We've been best friends since my mom found out you were living in that apartment after you got kicked out of the orphanage. You were the only one who checked up on me after my family was killed. Hell, you let me stay with you so I wouldn't be left to my own devices. I know you were there when I told Sakura this, but in the time after the massacre, when you were the one looking after me; that's when I really started to see you as my brother." His tone was even, typical of the Uchiha heir, but Naruto knew that he was being sincere. He offered Sasuke a small smile, his purple rippled eyes softening.
Sasuke started removing the scrolls from his bag. "We've always looked out for each other, so I figured we would keep that up. I'll likely return to the Uchiha compound one day. When that will be, I don't really know. Maybe I'll revive the Uchiha clan someday and move back there to wipe the slate clean, but I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." There was an air of wistfulness as he spoke of his former home and the possibility of reviving one of the three great clans of Konoha.
Naruto eyed the scrolls that Sasuke had set on the table. "What's with the scrolls?"
"These," Sasuke gestured towards the scrolls in question. "Are storage scrolls. I stopped by the food bank to get us some groceries. Along with dinner for tonight."
Naruto raised an eyebrow as Sasuke unfurled one of the scrolls and channeled chakra into the storage seal. With a poof and a cloud of smoke, a pair of instant ramen cups appeared. Naruto's face stretched into an ear-to-ear smile at the sight.
"I don't love this stuff as much as you, but I know that you would save this flavor for special occasions," he said to his elated teammate. The smile on Naruto's face was comically huge. "Plus, I like the soy sauce flavor. Reminds me of the shoyu from Ichiraku. So, I figured we'd celebrate you waking up and the whole saving the village thing," he explained as he put on a kettle to boil.
Naruto opened his mouth to thank Sasuke before a thought invaded his mind. "Wait, where are you going to sleep? There's only one bedroom, so one of us is gonna need to take the couch," he wondered. Sasuke pointed towards the hallway. Naruto hadn't noticed that there was another door across from his. Naruto cocked his head, staring down the hallway. It was no wonder the place seemed bigger; it was meant for two people.
The kettle whistled, breaking Naruto out of his stupor. He turned to see Sasuke pouring the boiling water into the two ramen cups, setting pairs of chopsticks on top of the paper lids. The two sat across from each other as Naruto gave his new roommate a foxy grin. Sasuke returned with a smile of his own. The two ate in comfortable silence before turning in for the night.
A/N: I really love writing dialogue between Naruto and Sasuke. As always, fav/follow if you enjoyed, and feel free to leave a review if you feel like it. Thanks for reading! Chapter 5 in the works!
