"Absolutely not," Tsunade stated. Shizune had woken up, and there were now three people staring at Sasuke in shock. Naruto was searching Sasuke's face as if expecting it to all be a joke, Shizune was wincing and watching Tsunade, and Tsunade kept her expression carefully blank.

"You're the only one who can do it," Sasuke muttered with a shrug. "I'm not going to spend time trying to convince you, anyway. That's Jiraiya's job. I've filled you in and now I'll let him know where you are so he can take over."

"So the Third is dead, huh?" Naruto asked thoughtfully. "Serves him right."

Sasuke was up in a flash to defend the old man, but Tsunade was quicker. She let loose a punch that sent Naruto through a wall, not caring whether or not she'd have to pick up the bill later. Tsunade hated the title of Hokage now, after two of her most important people had sacrificed their lives trying to obtain it, but she wouldn't allow anyone to disrespect her old sensei after he'd sacrificed himself for the village. Speaking of the dead in such a matter was unacceptable.

Naruto lay in a heap in another room, where a stunned couple took in the scene then quickly leapt for the door and ran away shouting. To be honest, Tsunade was surprised the brat hadn't dodged, what with his chakra back at nearly full power. She'd sensed a power with staggering immensity when she'd had to hold his chakra network, and she'd known in that moment that this kid would far surpass almost any ninja in history.

Right now, however, he didn't look like he'd be surpassing anyone. He lay in the debris of the wall, looking up at the ceiling with an expression that Tsunade could only describe as… haunted. He pulled himself up from the floor slowly, as if he were injured, but it wasn't a physical injury or Tsunade would've been able to tell.

"He became Hokage," Naruto said, his eyes wandering vacantly to the door the couple exited as he shrugged. "That's what a Hokage does. He dies to save the village, no matter who he leaves behind. I can completely understand why you don't want the job—you'd have to die too."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, knowing Naruto was talking about more than just Sarutobi. But so what? This kid thought he had the right to go around pouting just because he was an orphaned jinchuuriki? Tons of ninjas were orphaned, and tons of people had to experience pain they shouldn't have to. She marched over to Naruto and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, her nose wrinkling in disgust as she lifted him so his feet just barely touched the floor.

"Do you think you have a right to claim your pain is worse than anyone else's?" Tsunade snapped. No one moved to stop her as Naruto's eyes focused on hers.

"No. I just thought you'd understand, being the kid of a Hokage too. And the way you scoffed at dreams of becoming one... don't tell me you're going to get all self-righteous just because it's me who said it and not you?"

That was so much of a blow that Tsunade dropped Naruto, and he took a few steps back, brushing dust from his clothing and hair. It was true, that was what she'd been thinking, but hearing it out loud from someone else… It felt like killing the dreams Dan and Nawaki had fought so hard to protect. Tsunade had been certain she'd gotten rid of the part of her that was sentimental enough to think their dreams could come true, but maybe she hadn't after all.

"Too?" Sasuke asked suddenly, his brow creased in confusion as he looked at Naruto. Tsunade looked back and forth between the two boys, noting that all of Naruto's confidence had drained away and he was beginning to look nervous. Sasuke had called Naruto Kaze before, as well. Did he not know?

Of course! Naruto wouldn't want Sasuke knowing he was the same kid who'd disappeared the night Itachi had slaughtered the Uchiha clan. Tsunade didn't know much about Sasuke's situation, but she knew he certainly wouldn't be happy to hear Naruto was associated with his older brother. She could destroy this bond as it was budding, right here, right now.

She glanced at Naruto, but his eyes were focused on Sasuke, and she could read naked fear in them. She thought of how happy they'd been to see each other, how Sasuke had pretended he wasn't pleased but his eyes had softened all the same, and tension lines around his mouth had eased. Both boys had clearly seen their fair share of suffering, but it seemed they'd found some form of solace in each other.

"He's the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze," Tsunade said tiredly, stepping away back into her room to sink onto the bed. She needed more time to think things through. "Minato sacrificed himself for the village, leaving his only son behind. This boy is someone Konoha should've taken in, but apparently they decided not to. If they had, I imagine he wouldn't be here right now."

Naruto shot her a startled but grateful look. Tsunade didn't know why; she'd only told the truth. Konoha had really messed up this time, and Tsunade wasn't sure if there was any way to fix it.

"You're the Fourth's son?" Sasuke nearly whispered, his eyes wide as saucers. "You're from Konoha?"

"Yeah," Naruto mumbled, toeing a crack in the floor and avoiding Sasuke's eyes. "I guess we should talk."

"Yeah, we should talk!" Sasuke snapped. Now it was his turn to march over to Naruto. He grabbed the blonde by the wrist and started dragging him away, his face stormy. "We'll get Jiraiya to come talk some sense into her, and then you and I are going to have a real, honest conversation."

Sasuke dragged a flailing Naruto away, and Shizune finally came to sit beside Tsunade on the bed. Tsunade looked at her friend with a helpless shake of her head; she didn't even know how to begin untangling her thoughts.

"Lady Tsunade," Shizune said softly. "You're going to need to make a decision. I think you know what my personal beliefs on the matter are, but in the end I'll support you no matter what you choose to do."

Tonton, who had been hiding under the bed since the knock on the door, suddenly scuttled out and oinked at Shizune, who scooped her up and set the little pink pig on her lap. Tonton oinked worriedly at Tsunade, and Tsunade had to chuckle a little, reaching out to pat the pig on the head.

"Thank you. I think I know what I have to do."


Sasuke practically dragged Kaze through the entire city, half of his mind spinning with the knowledge that Kaze was the son of one of Konoha's greatest heroes, and the other half trying not to think about how close this skin-to-skin contact was to holding hands. Minato Namikaze… Kaze Naminato… so was it just some sort of anagram, then?

"Kaze's not your real name, is it," Sasuke said, more of a flat statement than a question. It hurt, to know there was so much Kaze hadn't told him. Perhaps some things needed to stay secret, but something like being the Fourth's son and Kaze's connection to Konoha? Sasuke didn't understand anything anymore, and he felt like somehow he'd been made a fool of even though he hadn't pursued Kaze's past.

"No," Kaze answered, his voice quiet and introspective. When Sasuke looked back, he was shocked to see that Kaze looked hurt as well, as if Sasuke finding this out was causing him physical pain. "There's so much I haven't told you, but I don't want you to hate me. I'm sorry."

Sasuke stopped, releasing his grip on Kaze's wrist and turning to look the other boy in the eye. He didn't know whether to yell or comfort his friend, so he settled for crossing his arms and waiting. His heart felt heavy in a way it hadn't for a long time, and his hand missed the warmth of Kaze's wrist. This was so stupid. At what point had he started caring so much?

"My father was the Fourth, yes. He died in a fight against the Nine-Tails, sacrificing his life and my mother's to save the village. In order to stop the kyuubi he also had to seal it somewhere, so guess who got stuck with the short end of that stick?"

Kaze laughed but it didn't sound like he found anything particularly funny.

"Apparently I was supposed to be treated as a hero or some fucking thing, but the adults who remembered the attack didn't see me as a hero. It makes sense, right? I mean, in their eyes it was my fault so many people had died, never mind what I'd lost. Konoha takes and takes, only offering hatred when you beg it to give you something. It happened to me, and it happened to others too."

Sasuke drew in a shaky breath, not quite sure why the words cut so deep. For a second, he'd seen something in Kaze's eyes that he hadn't seen since the night his family was slaughtered. He didn't want to think about it, but his doubts had been growing and now, at these words, all he could picture was Itachi crying when he'd left. Itachi… crying? That hadn't happened… But, yes, it had. The broken look in Kaze's eyes was the same last look Sasuke had seen in Itachi's before his older brother had left.

"So you… left...?" Sasuke whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. Kaze's face contorted and he looked away. His hands fisted at his sides, trembling as he bit down on his lip.

"Yes. I left with your brother, Itachi Uchiha."

Sasuke couldn't breathe. The edges of his vision blurred, and it felt like the world was trying to crush him into nonexistence. So many of the things Kaze had said made sense now, from the anger he'd shown every time Sasuke had mentioned wanting to kill Itachi, to the familiar, easy way he spoke to Sasuke. And the Sharingan eyes shedding tears… Sasuke had denied Kaze's connection with Itachi, trying to convince himself the image was Sasuke's own projection. But it hadn't been, and he knew Kaze's real name without the blonde speaking it. He spoke anyway.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

"Stop," Sasuke whispered.

"I'm the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails, and I work with Itachi Uchiha."

"Stop talking."

"I hate Konoha. I'm going to destroy it. I'm on the opposite side of you."

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, grabbing the kid's shirt in both hands. He spun the tiny jinchuuriki around to slam him against the wall of one of the shops. Blue eyes shimmered dangerously, before lids slid over them to hide any expression.

"I work with Itachi even though I know he slaughtered your clan. I befriended you even though I'm also friends with the person who caused you so much pain. I betrayed your trust, double crossed you, all the while making you care for me. Do you hate me now?"

The constricted feeling in Sasuke's chest seized his breath away and though he struggled to draw breath, nothing would enter his lungs. His hands slackened and Naruto's lids cracked to reveal blue as bottomless as the ocean. Sasuke didn't understand why the boy he'd thought was his friend was doing all of this, because as much as Naruto tried to hide it, the bottomless depths of his eyes were filled with pain.

Black spots swum before Sasuke's eyes, and then they spread over his entire vision and he swayed, urging himself to breathe. But he couldn't, and the last thing he saw before he passed out was Naruto lunging for him.


Naruto carried Sasuke on his back, using chakra so he wasn't struggling with the weight of someone bigger than him. It had startled him when Sasuke had passed out, but he'd managed to catch the young Uchiha just in time. Now he walked into an inn, head down, and slid what little money he usually carried to the innkeeper, mentioning something about Sasuke passing out from training too much. The innkeeper must've been used to such things—that or he didn't think Naruto was any real threat to Sasuke—and he accepted the money with a shrug, directing Naruto to a room on the second floor.

Naruto trudged up the stairs, finding the room with ease and kicking the door open. The bed was small, not big enough for two, but it only needed to fit one person. Naruto gently manoeuvered Sasuke off his back onto the bed, then quietly shut the door and went to take a seat in an uncomfortable armchair by the window. He kept his eyes focused outside, not wanting to look at Sasuke.

He'd spent so long wanting to be friends with Itachi's younger brother that he'd forgotten he'd also end up being friends with a shinobi loyal to the Leaf Village. He'd managed to ignore it during the entirety of the Chuunin Exams and when they'd trained together, but when Sasuke had come to ask Tsunade to become the Fifth Hokage, he'd been painfully reminded that Sasuke still cared for the village that had cast his older brother out.

If Naruto wanted to truly be friends with Sasuke, didn't that mean he'd have to accept the injustices that had been done to Itachi? Sasuke was so loyal he was being sent on a mission to get the next Hokage, a leader who would order more massacres and cause more pain. How was Naruto supposed to reconcile his image of Sasuke as his friend with Sasuke as a loyal Leaf shinobi? In the end, it would hurt him, and more importantly, it would hurt Sasuke. No, it was better that they start hating each other now before they started really caring about each other.

"I'm an idiot," Naruto groaned to no one in particular. Kurama's rumbles agreed with him, and Naruto told him to kindly shut up. It wouldn't do any good to stand around and be here when Sasuke woke up if they had to hate each other. He walked over to Sasuke, looking down at the boy he'd thought he could become best friends with. If things were different…

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Naruto whispered, dropping to his knees at the side of Sasuke's bed. His head bowed under the weight of everything he had to carry until his forehead hit the top of the bed.

"I know we didn't know each other very long, but I really, really liked you. I thought we could be friends…" He thought about Sasuke making him say that ridiculous stuff when they were 'meditating,' the way they'd both flushed, the way he'd catch himself thinking that Sasuke had really nice eyes. He'd been confused, but now he thought he was starting to understand a little better. "…or maybe more. I dunno, that's stupid, isn't it? Thinking we could help alleviate each other's loneliness? Probably you didn't feel the same, but anyway… I'm glad I met you. I hope you can be happy."

He made to rise, but a sudden pressure on his head stopped him. His breath hitched in his throat and a hundred curse words for himself ran through his mind; argh, why, why, why hadn't he been looking up to make sure Sasuke hadn't woken up?!

"I still haven't forgotten you telling me that words are the least truthful thing. You may be an idiot, but did you really think I'd believe every single word you said?"

"B-but you got so upset y-you passed out!" Naruto stuttered, trying to rise. Sasuke slammed his head back into the bed, grinding his face into the scratchy wool sheets.

"Yeah, well, you just sprung a bunch of stuff on me that I wasn't prepared for. Plus, I haven't eaten in a while, so it was probably just low blood pressure or something. I wouldn't pass out from emotional shock, moron." Naruto thought it might be wise to keep his mouth shut at that point. "Your connection with Itachi, your hatred of the village, the way things are between us… are you really just going to leave like this? Don't you think it would be easier to figure things out together rather than alone?"

Figure things out together? Naruto didn't understand what Sasuke meant, but he suddenly felt warm all over and he willingly pressed his face deeper into the blankets, unable to look at his friend. No one had ever suggested that he talk through his problems with them, and no one who had the right to hate him had stopped him from leaving. For some reason, it was really embarrassing.

"We're destined to be enemies though," Naruto pointed out, waiting for Sasuke's hand to leave his head. It didn't—it was if Sasuke didn't want Naruto to look up and see his expression.

"Did destiny decide that or did you decide that because of our circumstances?" Sasuke asked, sounding exasperated.

"If I'm with Itachi, don't you…"

"No, I don't hate you. Even if you're associated with him, even if you like him, he's manipulated people before. Hell, I liked him when he acted like my big brother, and I'm not half the brainless moron you are."

"He's not fucking manipulating me!"

"That's what everyone who's getting manipulated says," Sasuke sighed. There was a long pause; they were kind of at an impasse, and Sasuke still wouldn't let Naruto look up. Naruto was really curious to see what kind of expression Sasuke was wearing now, especially if he'd heard Naruto say they could be 'maybe more' than friends. What if Sasuke found him disgusting?

Sasuke fingers suddenly shifted as if to get a purchase in Naruto's hair, and they inadvertently felt like they were caressing Naruto's skull. It was such an odd feeling, Sasuke's fingers in his hair, that Naruto's entire body shivered. Sasuke jerked his hand back as if he'd just stuck it in hot flames, and when Naruto finally looked up Sasuke was watching him with nervous, alert eyes.

"I, um," Sasuke muttered hesitantly, dark eyes flicking away to avoid Naruto's. "I'm learning a jutsu the Fourth made. I wanted to show it to you. I kind of still do, once it's complete."

The atmosphere felt really messed up in that moment, like they were discussing something they'd never talked about before even though this was finally familiar territory. Naruto had to look out the window instead of at his flushed companion, and if anyone had walked in they might've been really confused at the sight of both boys studiously looking at anything but each other.

"Is it super strong?" Naruto asked lamely, his brain not functioning very well.

"Yeah, it will be," Sasuke said, and Naruto could hear him struggling to maintain his cool. "It's called the Rasengan. It's probably even better than anything you could teach me."

"I doubt that," Naruto snorted, and the atmosphere slowly settled back into something both boys could handle. There was a pause, then Sasuke spoke softly, almost gently.

"I thought I had to figure things out on my own too. I think I'm learning, though… maybe a fresh perspective is okay once in a while. Naruto Uzumaki… what do you know about my brother?"

"I know the world can destroy someone with ease in thirteen years," Naruto said unflinchingly, and he held Sasuke's gaze evenly. He revered Itachi as someone who had saved him and someone who had a genuinely good heart, but you couldn't love someone without truly knowing them. What Naruto knew about Itachi was that, as a kid a little older than Naruto, he'd been manipulated, betrayed, and backed into a corner until he was forced to kill his clan. What Naruto knew about Itachi was that, as someone who could think clearly again, Itachi regretted his decision and now thought there was probably a better way. What Naruto knew about Itachi was that he blamed himself for everything, and he was as human as the rest of the Akatsuki.

Itachi was flawed and he'd messed up, but none of that would've happened without Konoha's influence.

Naruto wanted to say all of this to Sasuke, who wasn't half as innocent as he should be because of Itachi's influence, but he couldn't say anything. If he told Sasuke, he knew he could convince his rival to join him in destroying Konoha, but Itachi didn't want that. So he let his words hang in the air, saying nothing else.

"What knowledge do you have that I don't? Naruto, I need to know. Destroying Itachi has been my reason for existing for the past four years—this whole time, I've been planning to be an avenger. If I'm missing information… if there are sides to this story I haven't heard yet, you have to tell me."

It would be a betrayal to Itachi. Every last bone in Naruto's body screamed against it, yet his heart screamed for it. What if Itachi was wrong, and Sasuke could bear the burden of what had happened? Maybe—

"Naruto."

The voice slithered out of the walls, dripping into Naruto's ears and then into his soul. He could feel the presence behind him, and the voice was in his ear, a snake whispering about how eating the forbidden fruit would bring him life. All peacefulness and thoughts of friendship with Sasuke were gone, replaced by a darkness as the voice that he was almost conditioned to feel hate upon hearing spoke to him. Zetsu had one hand on his shoulder, and a mouth at his ear, and he was whispering something other than what Konoha had done in the past.

What. Konoha. Had… Done? …Now? Konoha had?

"You," Sasuke growled, but his voice didn't sound like his own, and he blinked in shock, as if he hadn't meant to say anything. He brought his hand up to his throat in confusion, but Naruto scarcely noticed.

He wanted to scream, to deny what Zetsu was saying, to beg the thing to stop with the low, soft-spoken hiss. Dark flames more passionate than love stirred at the bottom of Naruto's heart, and he could feel Kurama rising, shaking his massive head as he, too, listened to Zetsu. The Leaf? Again? Sasuke, Sakura, Sai, Jiraiya. Sasuke had been with him, so it was one of the other people, but it didn't matter, did it? Naruto had been here, consorting with the enemy. That's right, he had been thinking it before but his judgement had been clouded.

Sasuke Uchiha was a Leaf shinobi. How were they supposed to figure things out together? What utter bullshit. His pupils narrowing to slits, his teeth pulling back, his claws sliding out, Naruto turned and followed Zetsu out of the room.