From April to June
Chapter 6
The years he had spent away from Konoha had changed his perception of things. The exposure they had brought had allowed him to see past many of his childish ideals and fortified some of his convictions. That time had given him the chance to interact with communities different from Konoha. To experience people who had known nothing of what he was and only saw who he was. Those years traveling with Ero-Sennin had nurtured something within him.
He had thought about people he had missed. Not a day had gone by when he hadn't wondered about Kakashi, Sakura, or Tsunade. There was never a day he hadn't thought of Sasuke as well. He had been determined more than ever, in both mind and heart, to one day bring his friend back home.
On his return to the village, there had been signs of changes similar to those that had happened in him. People had grown, and new acquaintances and teammates were needed to be made. Sakura had become stronger; Yamato had been an interesting new squad leader; and Sai couldn't have been a more bizarre character. It had been a strange setup, but that was the new Team 7.
The first glimpse of Sasuke he had in three years had left a dull ache in his heart. The disappointment from the past had resurfaced upon seeing him with Orochimaru as well as the same unanswered question of why. That first reunion had ended as demoralizing as their last goodbye.
A month after, when word had come of Orochimaru's death and it being Sasuke's doing, he had dared to hope that he might soon have the return of a loved one. That had been what reminded him that his special someone was truly worth fighting for.