Chapter 13

Kyuubi ended up calling a cab to take him home. When he arrived at his apartment complex, Kyuubi tipped the driver and decided to use the time now to reflect on his thoughts. Since his call with Sasuke, Kyuubi found himself engulfed in a whirl of paranoia. He kept glancing around, left and right, erratic as every little sound seemed to scare him.

There was something wrong. He hasn't been this afraid since that day.

Kyuubi genuinely believed there had been another person on the phone aside him and Sasuke. He didn't have evidence, and Sasuke had not alluded to anything of the sort, Kyuubi was sure he could feel another presence. Whether his suspicion was valid or not, something was off. What was it that had Sasuke so scared?

The elevator opened with a screech and Kyuubi flinched back horribly. He looked inside the empty shaft, his body rigid with fear. He inhaled and exhaled slowly as he stepped inside, scoffed at his own hysteria. He was really losing it.

He leaned against the metal railing, forced himself to believe there was nothing out of the ordinary. This seemed to work as he felt himself relax. Like they said, home safe home, or at least that was his version of it.

"Sorry."

Kyuubi saw the hand before he heard the voice. His hands clenched the cold rail when a man suddenly entered the elevator, just as the doors were about to close. The scene was like something straight out of a horror film, and maybe it would've been a normal everyday thing if Kyuubi wasn't already on the verge of collapsing. He kept his eyes on his shoes, refused to look up to the stranger standing in front of him.

"Sorry about that," the voice said, followed by a nervous laugh.

Kyuubi slowly glanced up. The guy was young, looked anywhere between his late twenties to early thirties. He instantly lowered his eyes when the man turned around to look at him. Kyuubi can't understand why he felt so uneasy. The confined space of the elevator wasn't doing much to help either.

"You're… Kyuubi, right?" A kind smile spread across his face when green eyes finally looked up at him. "15th floor. I've seen you and your brother around."

Kyuubi averted his eyes to the elevator buttons and saw they were going to the same floor. He found it strange. Yes, technically, he hasn't met every single resident living on his floor but, he's seen most of them to know he's never once seen this man in the years he's lived in the complex.

Maybe, he's a frequent visitor of another resident, he thought.

Kyuubi suddenly backed away when an invasive hand waved back and forth in his face.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. You were kinda just staring at me. Don't mean to probe but, you seem spooked by something."

"No, it's nothing," Kyuubi muttered. His eyes trailed over the man's physique. He had some muscles and weight to him. Kyuubi noticed he had a very cute face, soft features that didn't quite match his athletic built.

"The name's Kae, by the way."

Kyuubi hesitantly reached out and shook the hand offered to him. "Kyuubi, but I guess you already knew that."

Kae nodded, a weird grin on his face. Kyuubi can't quite fathom the strange vibe he was receiving. There was something oddly familiar about the man.

"Have we met before?" Kyuubi asked him softly. "Is that how you know me?"

"I actually live right next door to you. It's kinda funny we're only now making acquaintances. To be quite honest with you, I've been waiting for this moment for some time now. I've always wanted to say something to you but - well I guess you can say, I'm a little shy."

"I've never seen you before." He continued to take in the man's features, big round eyes in a deep shade of brown. "Do you live by yourself?"

"Yes, I actually moved here after I got a promotion from my job. This coming Friday marks my third year living here."

That same day marked Kyuubi's fourth. Another odd coincidence. "What job do you do?"

"I'm in IT. The details are pretty boring so I'll spare you." Kae slumped himself against the metal wall, burying his hands inside his pockets. "It pays the bills so I guesss I shouldn't complain too much."

"My, um, ex wanted to go into IT. He actually studied some courses for it back when he was in high school."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, but uh, in the end he chose a different path."

"Yeah, I mean it's engaging if you know what you're doing, but it can get boring very quickly." Suddenly, Kae had this analyzing look on his face. "I hope I don't come across too forward by saying this but you're probably the prettiest guy I've ever seen."

Kyuubi looked away, didn't say anything else.

The elevator doors creaked open. Being a gentleman, Kae stepped aside and allowed Kyuubi to exit first. They walked in silence down the hall until they reached their front doors. Kyuubi went to look for his keys while Kae knocked the door of his apartment.

Didn't he say he lived by himself? Kyuubi thought to himself. He discreetly looked over when the door swung open. Out ran a little girl who looked to be a just a year or two older than Jay.

"Big brother!"

Kyuubi watched as Kae lifted her up in the air before swiftly bringing her back down. He pinched her cheeks and the girl giggled. Kyuubi quickly looked away when Kae turned to him. He focused on unlocking his door, hoping he hadn't been caught staring.

"Hey, I just want to say if I made you uncomfortable back there, I genuinely do apologize."

"No, it's okay. You didn't cause any harm."

Kae's just about to leave when his sister's small voice said loudly. "I remember you!" She hid her face when Kyuubi glanced her way. "Uh oh, sorry."

"What?" She wouldn't turn to look at him anymore.

Kae laughed. "You favor my fiancé quite a bit. You can see why I think you're so attractive. When I see you, it's like I'm looking at her."

Kyuubi accepted the excuse with a simple nod. He stood there staring at the door even after Kae had left. The little girl's words can't escape his mind.

"I remember you!"

Kae had done nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Yet, Kyuubi found it hard digesting what he said. Did he really look like his fiancé? If he did have a fiancé, wouldn't they live together in the apartment? But, Kae had said he lived alone. Where did the little girl remember him from? Why did she hide her face? Why did she apologize?

Kyuubi swallowed down the unsettling thoughts as he pushed open the door. "I'm back." His son came running towards him and Kyuubi quickly raised his hand, stopping the small boy covered in flour. "Jaron, look at the state of you."

"We are making cookies!" Jay ran back to the kitchen with his mother following behind him.

"Hello, Uncle Kyuubi." Kota's little hands molded the cookie dough into small balls beside his mother. "We're making cookies."

"I can see that."

Kyuubi went over to the counter, standing across from the smiling trio engaged in their baking. Jay knelt over the tall stool, his little hands molding cookies alongside Kota.

"That was quick," said Yugito. "What did he say, hello and goodbye?" She removed the tray of cookies from the counter and slid them inside the oven. She glanced over to Kyuubi and she could practically feel the nervousness oozing off him. "What's wrong?"

"There was this guy in the elevator," Kyuubi explained. "Turns out he lives in the apartment right next door. It's weird, but I feel like I know him."

"Yeah? Where from?"

"I can't remember. I don't know, maybe I'm mistaking him for someone else." Kyuubi paused for a moment. "But then, he has a little sister, not too much older than Jay and she said something strange. She said she remembered me."

Yugito wiped her hands clean with the kitchen towel, pondering over Kyuubi's words. "Hm… that is odd."

"I have this weird feeling all of a sudden."

"If you want, I can run a background check on him, see if he's alright. What's his name?"

"Kae. He didn't give me a last name."

"No worries. I'll check downstairs at the desk."

Kyuubi averted his eyes from Yugito to the boys. "Thanks."

"So, what happened with Itachi?"

Kyuubi loosened his hair from its ponytail. "Nothing. Something came up so he had to cancel."

"Wow, what a standup guy," Yugito said, purposely ignoring the glare she received. "I'm just saying." She held up her hands in defense.

Kyuubi quickly glanced around. "Is Naruto not back?"

"No, not yet," Yugito replied. "Well, at least when he gets back, there'll be fresh baked cookies waiting for him. You know how much that boy loves his sweets."

"Yeah," Kyuubi muttered. Especially, when he's high. He was worried.

—

Naruto sat downstairs in the dining room of Kiba's home, an empty shot glass in his hand. The silver pendant around his neck felt cold against his bare chest, the shadows of his face lit dimly from the lamp placed in the corner of the room. Naruto downed another shot, scrunched his face at the bitter taste. He ran his fingers through his hair, the freshly opened bottle of vodka now almost half empty. He grabbed the bottle, poured himself another shot just as the front door was opened.

Kiba glanced over to him as he walked by to the kitchen. "Thought you'd be sleeping."

Naruto followed after him, barely stable. "Couldn't sleep." He looked over the takeout packages Kiba had set aside, deciding on a bag of chips. "Did you get some rice cakes?"

"Right there. I got the spicy ones you like."

Kiba carried the takeouts into the dining room where he spread them across the table. He grabbed a fork and began opening some of the containers, the food still warm. Across from him, Naruto poured two shots, sliding one across the table to Kiba. Kiba grabbed it, downed it in one gulp.

"Ugh… I hate vodka," he grumbled.

Naruto chuckled, pressing his lips to the cold glass and taking a small sip. "It's the strongest shit you have lying around."

"Yeah, well, my house isn't a fucking liquor store," Kiba mumbled with a mouthful of food. He watched Naruto tear open the bag of chips and bring a handful to his mouth. "Are you okay?"

Naruto studied Kiba, the concerned look on his face. He sighed. "I don't know," he admitted softly. "I find out today my whole life is a fucking lie. I think of going back home and seeing Kyuubi and I just get this scary feeling inside like I'll do something real fucking crazy."

"Why don't you move out?" Kiba said, as if it was the most obvious thing. "From the allowance he gives you every month, that's more than enough to to cover rent for an apartment. Or a fucking hotel or something."

"At eighteen, I get my inheritance from my parents. I wanted to move back to Konoha, repurchase the house I grew up in and live there for the rest of my life."

Kiba brought a spoonful of rice to his mouth. "Yeah, well in the meanwhile, get your own place."

Naruto chuckled. "Live by myself? I've thought about it, but I don't know."

"Why not? I practically live by myself. Not a big deal."

Naruto circled his tongue around his mouth, tasting the strange mixture of vodka and barbecue. "Would you move in with me?"

Kiba looked up at him, laughed as if Naruto had just told him the funniest joke. "What? Next, we hold hands and skip merrily down the halls?"

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Naruto said, his face deadly serious.

Kiba pushed the food away from him, leaned back in his chair as he twisted open a bottle of Sprite. "Yeah, it would."

"Are you really that scared of your friends?"

"Don't start thinking just because we fool around, I owe you something. That I'll just turn my whole life around for you."

Naruto threw the open bag of chips across the table, the small bag bouncing off Kiba and spilling on the ground.

"Okay, so the next time you feel horny, how about you go fuck one of your boys. How about you call them the next time you want to get drunk and talk about how fucked up your childhood was. The countless times your psycho mother tried to kill you. Why don't you ask Lee to go with you to visit her because the little boy in you is still too scared to be alone with her. Oh, and how about you ask Lee to come over and cook you dinner the next time you burn a pot trying to cook fucking ramen noddles!"

"I'm not arguing with you, Naruto. I'm way too tired."

"How about the next time your father tells you he doesn't give two fucks about you, you call Neji to take your anger out on him. I'm sure he'll just lie down and fucking take it!"

Kiba dodged the shot glass thrown at him. "You really need to stop throwing shit at me. You're starting to piss me off."

Naruto clenched the second shot glass in his hand. He hurled the glass at Kiba, frowned when Kiba again dodged it. He grabbed the bottle of vodka, poured the remaining liquid all over the table, soiling the food.

"Real fucking mature. Go right ahead. You're gonna fucking clean it up."

"You wanna bet?"

"Do you even know why you're upset right now?"

"Are you serious?"

"You say I'm the one with the fucking temper but look at what you're doing. Look how you're acting. You're fucking drunk."

"I'm acting this way because of you!"

"Big fucking deal. I don't want to move in with you."

Naruto felt like his teeth was breaking. That's how hard he was clenching his jaw. "It's more than that and you know it."

"You know you act like your life is so fucking hard. Oh no, look at me, I live in a fucking penthouse with a brother who loves me, but I'll act all edgy and pretend the whole world is against me. You bitch and moan about the littlest things because you're so fucking spoiled. Oh no, the guy that does everything for me doesn't want to move in with me so I'll do what I do best, whine and moan like a little bitch because for once I didn't get what I want."

"You have no idea what the fuck you're talking about."

"Face it, you purposely make your life difficult because you genuinely love being a victim."

"All this coming from a guy who's scared to come out of the closet because he doesn't want the only two friends he's got to leave him!"

"Come out the closet?" Kiba laughed. "The only reason why I fuck you in the first place is because you're prettier than most girls at school. You think that makes me gay?"

"Yes!" Naruto fumed. "Always in fucking denial! Just like when your dad tells you he loves you and you eat that shit up."

"Well, at least, my parents aren't fucking worm food."

Rage filled, Naruto hurled the bottle of vodka at Kiba, the bottle striking Kiba's arm before clashing to the ground. Naruto grabbed a fork off the table, lunged it at Kiba attempting to stab him in the face. Kiba held back Naruto's arm and drove him into the shelf against the wall, the contact causing the knickknacks to rain down and strike them both on their heads. Naruto brought his head forward, slammed it against Kiba's nose.

"Ow! You fucking bitch!" Kiba growled, tackling Naruto to the ground.

The fork dropped out of Naruto's hand and he reached for it. Kiba dove down, swiping it across the room. Naruto's hand searched blindly around the floor as Kiba straddled him. He felt Kiba's fist come down heavy against his face, his nose throbbing from the force. His hand found the empty bottle of vodka and he grabbed it, smashing it against Kiba's head. The sound of glass breaking silenced everything, the impact dizzying Kiba for a moment. Kiba breathed out slowly, his adrenaline numbing him from the aching pain. He looked down at Naruto, the shock in his eyes as he tried to register what had happened. Kiba brought his fist down, hard, then another one and another one until Naruto was begging him to stop and trying to get away. He grabbed Naruto's wrists, pinned them against the floor.

They both breathed out heavily as the adrenaline slowly left their bodies. Naruto groaned from the aching pain in his face, his busted lip. He moved his jaw around, winced from the excruciating pain. He looked up at Kiba. Kiba's strong arms holding him down, the warmth of his breath against his skin as he panted heavily. Naruto smiled and Kiba smiled, laughing as they looked into each other's eyes.

"You're bleeding," Naruto said softly, a dazed look in his eyes.

Kiba lifted his hand up and felt the wetness running down the side of his face. "Fuck..."

"Does it hurt?"

"Like hell."

Naruto felt the full weight of Kiba's body on him. Their breathing slowed as they continued to look into each other's eyes. They didn't say anything and was just content in the newfound desire coursing through them. Suddenly, Naruto was urging for something to happen, but then Kiba's gaze was moving down from his face to his bare chest.

"What are you doing?" He winced when Kiba grabbed his necklace and ripped it from his neck. "Give it back."

Kiba threw it aside carelessly. "You said it wasn't your father's. So, why should you keep it?"

Naruto opened his mouth to argue, but silenced himself when Kiba reached for a shard of glass from the floor. He looked on intently as Kiba brought the shard down to his finger and slid it across in a clean cut.

"Give me your hand." Kiba demanded and Naruto reached out his hand, wincing when Kiba sliced the same place on his finger.

Kiba intertwined their fingers, mixing their blood into one. He leaned down and kissed Naruto's lips, felt Naruto move against him with a soft moan sounding from his throat.

"I love you, you fucking psychopath." Kiba whispered softly against Naruto's lips, the words like a light breeze over Naruto's ears. "You know I do."

Naruto didn't know how long he laid there, frozen, speechless. The words he's longed to hear in the two years he's been with Kiba was finally said. It wasn't the romantic way he had envisioned it. A bed filled with rose petals, chocolate ice cream and a classic romance movie. Instead, it was spoken in the aftermath of their worst fight, bloodied, injured, and in lust.

Lust. Love.

Which was it that he was currently feeling righg now?

"I love you," Kiba said again, the words dancing over Naruto's lips. "I love you."

Naruto smiled, opening his mouth to drink in the words. He moaned as he leaned into Kiba, his hand running through Kiba's soft hair, damp from the blood leaking from the wound caused by him. Naruto wanted to say the words back, but he can't. He knew Kiba wanted to hear him say it back, but he can't. He wanted to. He desperately wanted to. But, he can't. Because in that moment, he really didn't know if he did.

He felt like a hypocrite.

—

Sasuke was falling in and out of sleep. He sat in the recovery room watching Analeina who was soundly asleep on the small hospital bed. He was relieved when he received the call from Tsukasa, Analeina safely secured and brought to the hospital with mild injuries. She had lost some blood from her wrist that had been slit, but not enough to be life threatening. After a small procedure to stitch the cut and sedation to calm her down, she was resting safely by his side.

Her bandaged hand laid limply beside her body, attached to a machine beside the bed. Sasuke held her uninjured hand, the pad of his thumb massaging small circles over the soft skin. He watched her silently, smiling when closed eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Angel." The endearing term left him like a breath of fresh air.

He sat up and leaned forward when he felt fingers slowly intertwine with his own. He brought her hand to his lips, pressed a gentle kiss on the knuckles of the pale skin.

"S-sasuke…" She rasped out his name softly, her hand holding Sasuke's tighter as she turned her head to stare at the handsome man beside her. "What's going on?" Her voice was small and weak.

"Shh..." Sasuke caressed her face, smiling when she hummed contently from the soothing gesture. "It doesn't matter now. All that matters now is that you're safe." His voice wavered, exposing the vulnerability he wore proudly around her.

"Where am I?" The question came out of her startled in a tired voice. She began to force her body to move, rejecting the gentle hands that insisted for her to lie down. "I'm alright, babe."
She's thankful when Sasuke granted her the freedom to sit up as she inspected the room. "I'm in a hospital?" She looked at Sasuke. "How are you here right now?"

Sasuke leaned forward, pressed the back of his hand against Analeina's forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever." He pulled back his hand as he sighed deeply. "What's the last thing you remember?"

She looked at Sasuke, the man evidently fatigued and troubled. This wasn't the confident man she's come to know, admire, and love.

"The last thing I remember–" Analeina went to move her hand but frowned when the movement was restricted. She glanced down and she gasped seeing her wrist bandaged with a tint of red leaking through the white cloth. The memories rushed back like a wave to a dam. "There was this man. He said his friend was injured and he needed help. He led me to this place and I…" She turned to Sasuke. "I-I can't remember anything else. Wait, no, there was three guys. They were speaking Japanese. Wait, Sasuke, am I in Japan?"

Sasuke answered her with a silent nod.

"How is this possible?" Her trembling voice matched the hysteria on her face. "Sasuke, I was just in America and – and now, I'm in Japan? What is going on?"

"I'll explain everything to you later. For now, just try to get some rest."

Analeina removed her hand from Sasuke's hold, shocking both Sasuke and herself. "No, explain it to me now!"

She was frightened, terrified at the thought of the events that had transpired in the past few days.

"Analeina, I'll explain everything to you later," Sasuke said calmly as he rubbed his temples. "Right now, I just need you to trust me."

"Trust you?!"

"Ana!" Sasuke's hard gaze silenced her.

Analeina looked at him bewildered and disappointed. Not once has Sasuke in their three year relationship yelled at her. He never raised his voice to her when they had disagreements, not when he was angry, not once.

Sasuke lowered his head into his hands as he breathed in deeply. "I've had a very bad day, Ana. I thought, I might have lost you. I'm going through a lot of emotions right now and I don't want to take them out on you. So, please, just give me a chance to process everything. Please."

Analeina looked down at her hands. "Sasuke, you need to understand why I'm scared."

Sasuke removed his face from his hands, ran them both through his hair. "I do."

Analeina's head snapped over to him. "No, I don't think you do. I could have died."

"I know."

"And instead of you being up front with me and explaining to me why I was kidnapped and brought to a foreign country and assaulted, you want me to pretend everything is normal?!"

"I'm just asking you to trust me." Sasuke's brown eyes desperately tried to plead with the cold hazel eyes staring back at him. "I can't begin to understand what you're going through, I know that. But I promise, after you're released, I will explain everything to you. I will make sure nothing like this ever happens to you again." His hand combed through Analeina's matted curls, tucking a lose curl behind her small ears. "You have no idea how much it pains me to see you like this." He leaned over and softly kissed her cheek. "I need you to trust me."

Analeina was hesitant, but then nodded her head. She's not fully convinced, but she found enough comfort in Sasuke's love to let everything go for now. She brought her lips gently down Sasuke's. "I do trust you." She leaned her forehead against his. "But this is beyond anything else we've experienced. I was kidnapped, made unconscious, flown across the world. I'm petrified!"

"I know." Sasuke soothed her, embraced her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. But I'm here now, and I'll keep you safe. You have nothing to fear."

Analeina nodded, settling herself comfortably within Sasuke's arms. "I love you."

Sasuke kissed her forehead. "I love you." He kissed her lips once more. "I'll let the twins know you're awake."

Outside, Sasuke informed the twins of Analeina's consciousness. They simply nodded. Sasuke felt the awkwardness that still lingered between him and his bodyguards. He wanted to take a minute with them and settle their little dispute, give them an apology. Now wasn't the time.

He walked down to the opposite corridor, turned around to find the twins no longer in sight. He was lucky his bodyguards cared for Analeina just as much as he did. They would do anything to protect her. It was assuring during times like this.

The cold breeze of the night was refreshing against his warm skin. As he leaned against the railing of the hospital balcony, he watched over the city, breathing in the night's air. Today was one hell of a day. He thought back to Shisui, kicked himself for being so foolish, thinking he alone could handle Shisui. Like he was some fucking comic book superhero, ready to swoop down and single-handedly save the day.

This fight was no longer just his alone. And truthfully, it never was.

Sasuke glanced down at the cellphone in his hand. With one call everything changes. Whether for the better or worse, he wasn't entirely sure. All he knew was that he had to do what he should have done five years back. Kyuubi would be angry. But, there was no going back now.

Sasuke brought the phone to his ear. Two rings and his brother's strong voice was heard.

"What do you want?"

"It's about Kyuubi. I need to tell you something. The truth."

Sasuke waited for his brother's response.

"I'm listening."

—

Naruto returned home late in the night with the mother of all headaches. He quietly shut the door, shrugged off his shoes. He turned around and wasn't all that surprised to find his brother on the couch watching him with a stern look.

"You're coming home pretty late."

Naruto said nothing as he simply walked past his brother.

"Jay wouldn't sleep until you came home." Kyuubi kept his eyes on Naruto's back. He waited until Naruto turned to face him before he continued. "We watched some movies and he eventually fell asleep."

Jay was snuggled over his mother's lap, the plush blanket wrapped around him keeping him warm. Naruto felt his heart sink and he automatically felt guilty. He walked over to his brother, his gaze never leaving his nephew as he gently brought the sleeping child into his arms.

"I'll take him to his room." He pressed the boy closer to his chest as he cooed him back to sleep. Naruto laid him on the soft mattress, tucking him in warmly before he bent down and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "Sleep tight, baby boy."

Naruto glanced over to the clock on the wall. It was nearly 11 pm. This was early for him since he usually came home much later. Still, it was later than he thought. He hadn't realized just how long he had spent at Kiba's. As if on cue, he felt the sharp pain in his jaw and he winced as he took in a deep breath. He walked out of the room, closed the door quietly behind him.

"Where were you all day?" Kyuubi leaned against Naruto's bedroom door with his arms folded over his chest.

"Get out of my way. "

"Naruto-"

"Seriously, you really need to get the fuck out of my way." Naruto warned him, his voice low and dangerous.

"First, tell me where you were. I want the truth." Kyuubi hurriedly followed after Naruto who walked away from him. "You're not leaving this fucking house again!"

Naruto's hand hovered the door knob. Silence settled between them, adding on to the tension. Kyuubi softened his features, all of a sudden frightened when Naruto began to laugh hysterically. He sounded maniacal. Kyuubi looked at him, horrified.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Naruto pushed back the strands of hair from his face. Before words could leave his lips, he's stunned when urgent hands grabbed his face, eager eyes observing the bruises and cuts.

"Is that a bruise?!" Kyuubi asked in panic. "Naruto, is someone hurting you?"

"Get the fuck off me!" Naruto screamed, shoving away Kyuubi and his invasive hands. "Don't fucking touch me."

"You have a cut on your lip. Your cheek is swollen. Naruto, is someone hurting you?"

"No one is hurting me!"

"I try to stay out of your relationships. But, whoever this guy is, if he's hurting you, I'm calling the fucking police-"

"Shit, you're so goddamn annoying!" Naruto watched Kyuubi cower back. "You just don't know when to stop." He shoved Kyuubi away from him, his brother's back colliding against the wall. "If only mom and dad lives could've been exchanged for yours." His glare burned straight through Kyuubi. He walked into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Kyuubi sighed as he slid down the wall. Naruto's harsh words repeat and taunt him in his head. As much as he tried to not let it get to him, the silent tears still manage to rush down his face. At some point in his life, he had said those same words to himself. Maybe if their parents were alive, Naruto wouldn't be so lost. They would be able to help him where he wasn't able.

All these years, Naruto was right, he was selfish.

He had turned Itachi away. He turned Naruto away. Everything that he has done that he thought was in the best interest of others, had only been in the best interest for himself. All these years, everything he's sacrificed, was it all in vain? Maybe, he wasn't the hero he thought he was. Maybe, the problem wasn't Shisui. All these years, maybe the problem was him. He didn't know anymore. The lines grew thinner and thinner.

Sasuke was right. He couldn't fight this battle alone anymore. He needed Itachi.

—

Thank you for reading everyone. So what do you guys think of the story so far? Any favorite characters?