Disclaimer: I want Naruto for my birthday. Unfortunately, I got socks for my birthday last year, so it's unlikely I'll be getting Naruto this time around. AKA unless you want a pair of gray socks, don't sue me.
Warnings: Neji cynicism…So what else is new? Mild spoilers for the events leading up to time-skip.
I think that I scare people. With the name, and with the eyes. And with the talent. You could call me arrogant, or you could just call me accurate. Besides, it's actually kind of useful, the fear. The ones who are actually worth fighting are the ones who aren't afraid to challenge the name and the eyes and the talent. I count very few among those ranks, but for the most part, those are the people I respect most.
People like Naruto, who made me realize that I don't have to accept my own destiny. My birthright doesn't make me who I am any more than the Byakugan does, and it was a lesson I needed to learn. You'd be surprised, actually, at who else is on that list. Lee. Hinata. They know, every time they fight me, that they won't win. Chances are, they never will. But they come back, they stand up, because they need to show me that being a genius doesn't make you perfect. Every time they connect, every time they hit the dirt hard and still get back up, they show me.
Sasuke?
Hah. No, Sasuke isn't on my list. He's smart enough, and he's strong enough, true. But as a genius himself, Sasuke needs to stop hiding from those who are willing to challenge him. Ever since Naruto refused to kill him…Yes, I know that the official story is that when Sasuke left Naruto lost their last battle.
Bullshit. Naruto held back on his last Rasengan. That's why the Chidori overpowered it, that's why Sasuke left. Because Naruto wasn't willing to kill a brother. Only a few people know this, Sasuke included. And that hurt his jumped-up last-Uchiha pride. That a no-name, dead-last moron with enough heart to make it to Hokage pulled his punches when fighting a technical genius. It will take him a while, but I'm sure Sasuke will figure it out eventually. I needed to lose to a moron, Sasuke needed to win against a monster.
Because now Sasuke has to wonder why Naruto stopped. Why he didn't try. And sooner or later, Sasuke is going to realize exactly why Naruto didn't kill him. And then…only then, mind, will Sasuke make it onto my list of people worth fighting. Maybe then he'll realize it's an honor for an Uchiha to share space with Lee, Hinata, and Naruto. And maybe then, he'll come home.