Three times when Sasuke didn't want anybody's help, and one time when he did
A/N: thanks as always for your support and reviews
Sasuke stood very straight, hoping to make himself appear taller in front of the shinobi. The man looked down at him with a sad smile.
"Come on, Sasuke. You're smart enough to see why this is not possible."
Sasuke's fists clenched, and he raised his chin defiantly. "I can take care of myself."
The man sighed. "You're too young to live on your own."
"I'm not. There's a kid in my class who's been living alone for years."
The man's expression darkened, and he looked away for a moment. "That's different. He's…" He seemed to struggle for the right word, then gave up. "I mean, we can't let anything happen to you. A lot of people volunteered to let you live with them. I'm sure you'll like—"
"If you force me to live with someone, I'll run away."
The man sighed again. He crouched in front of Sasuke so that they were at eye level. "Who will cook for you?" he asked gently. "Who will do your laundry? Who will take care of you when you're hurt or sick?"
The questions made Sasuke's stomach roil in a very unpleasant fashion. He'd helped his mother cook, sometimes, but he wasn't very good at it. He'd watched her do the laundry, and he thought he could remember what products she had used. As for the rest…
He crossed his arms and scowled. "I can take care of myself," he repeated.
The shinobi observed him for a few seconds. "We can try," he said at last, standing again. "And when you see how hard it is, you can always come and ask for help. All right?"
Sasuke didn't reply. He didn't need anyone's help.
A last time, the shinobi sighed. "Come on, then. Let's see where you're going to live."
…
It started on their first assignment, the first time Kakashi tested them with those damn bells. Sasuke had wanted to win on his own, but it turned out to be a team thing. Stupid test.
Then on their first real mission, his idiot of a teammate plunged into the fight against Haku that should have been his. He didn't care that Naruto probably saved him. He would have found a way to win that fight by himself. Stupid mission.
It continued after that. Sasuke was doing his best to become stronger, but always Kakashi, Sakura, or Naruto would stand in his way by helping. Stupid team.
Time after time, it was the same. Sasuke felt stifled. He wasn't growing and gaining strength the way he needed to. He did learn new techniques – he learned to use chidori with Kakashi – but it wasn't enough to win against Gaara. All he could do was watch Naruto fight – and win. Stupid dead last.
Worse than everything, he was letting himself be distracted from his mission as an avenger. Itachi said it himself when their paths crossed. Sasuke wasn't strong enough, and neither was his hate. He knew who to blame for that – the same person who had tried to help him across the years. The person who had interfered in a thousand different ways. The person who had made him feel things that weren't hate.
Stupid Naruto.
…
Madara tilted his head, apparently observing Sasuke very closely; it was hard to tell what he was looking at or what he thought with his mask, and Sasuke was always very careful when he talked to him.
"If you're so sure he'll come to you," Madara said slowly, "we might as well come along and capture him then."
Sasuke shook his head. "He'll come, but if he sees other people there, he'll run. No, it's better if I fight him alone."
He forced his body to slouch in the throne-like chair, giving an appearance of being at ease and relaxed when in fact he was anything but. He held on to the charade. The last thing he wanted was for Madara to become even more suspicious than he already was.
"Fight him," Madara repeated, "and let yourself be captured, you mean."
Sasuke inclined his head.
"You're just making things more complicated than they have to be." Madara's visible eye suddenly swirled with the sharingan, proof if need be of how much he didn't like Sasuke's plan. "As soon as we've harnessed the Nine Tails' power, you'll be able to destroy Konoha with just a flick of your little finger."
"And they'd die not knowing why," Sasuke said with an exasperated sigh. "I want them to know who is destroying them. And why. I want to do it myself."
Madara leaned forward, his gaze sharpening. "I thought you asked your team to join you there."
It was a good thing, Sasuke thought a little wryly, that he had thought of every detail beforehand. "I did. They'll support me. But I will be the one putting the Elders and Danzou to death. No one else."
In the silence that followed, Sasuke imagined that Madara was examining his words, trying to find a flaw or contradiction. He could look all he wanted; Sasuke wasn't lying. He merely wasn't saying the entire truth.
"I might come and watch your fight," Madara said finally. "To see what techniques the jinchuuriki uses."
Sasuke's heart felt like it skipped a beat, but he didn't let it show. "Do as you wish as long as you don't interfere. Naruto's mine to deal with."
…
"Akatsuki will be here in three days," Sasuke said after a minute or two. "That should be enough for the clan leaders to pass judgment, one way or the other."
Beaming, Naruto kissed him again. It was slow, and sweet, and perfect, and right in the middle of it, Naruto's stomach rumbled loudly.
Sasuke broke away and huffed, rolling his eyes. "Now I know where I stand in the grand scheme of things. Just below food."
Embarrassed, Naruto grinned goofily. "Sorry."
Sasuke sat up. Naruto caught the slight wince that crossed his face and was caught between feeling guilty and proud that he had caused it.
"Come on," Sasuke said as he stood. "Let's wash up, and then I'll treat you to lunch now that I've got some money back."
Naruto watched him walk away, his eyes locked on a lovely and very bare ass. Sasuke glanced back at him, smirking. Naruto closed his mouth and wiped away a bit of drool before hurrying after him into the bathroom.
It was strange how showering with someone to help wash your back – and other delicate parts – could take much longer than showering on your own. Then again, it was much more enjoyable, too.
It was early in the afternoon when they finally left the apartment and walked out of the Uchiha district.
"So, what do you want to eat?" Sasuke asked.
"Have you been gone long enough to forget Naruto's love of ramen, Sasuke-kun?"
At once, Naruto and Sasuke looked to their right. Leaning against the wall that delimited the district, a well-worn book in his hands, Kakashi was grinning behind his mask.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed. "I thought you were in a mission in the Land of Wind!"
Kakashi pushed away from the wall and slipped his book into his belt pouch. "I was. I came back this morning. I heard rumors that Sasuke was back, and I had to come see for myself."
He tilted his head to one side, and his eyes ran over Sasuke from head to toe. Sasuke let out a little annoyed huff and crossed his arms.
"What am I, a spectacle?"
Kakashi's expression hardened ever so slightly. "No, you're a lucky shinobi. I can't think of any missing nin who was ever allowed to return to his village without having his chakra paths burned at least temporarily."
A shiver ran down Naruto's back. The Elders had raised the idea the night Naruto had brought Sasuke back, but thankfully it hadn't come to pass.
"He came back of his own free will," Naruto pointed out.
"Did he?" Kakashi asked, sounding skeptical. His gaze shifted from Naruto back to Sasuke. "That means you'd have come back if Naruto-kun hadn't run off to drag you back?"
Naruto's eyes turned to Sasuke, who looked at him. His features revealed nothing.
"I was always planning to come back to Konoha eventually," Sasuke said. "I just wasn't sure what I would be coming back for."
Sasuke's eyebrows rose for a second. A smile pushed to Naruto's lips. Locking his hands behind his head, he looked away and tried to silence that little voice that said food was overrated, and it'd have been much better to stay home together.
"I guess you figured that out," Kakashi said, an edge of laughter to his voice. "Come on, let's go eat. My treat. As a tribute to Team Seven."
The three of them started walking together. Naruto snorted.
"You never treated us as Team Seven!"
"I did too!" Kakashi protested. "That one time when we were on a mission in—"
"But you got that meal reimbursed! It doesn't count!"
Kakashi shrugged. "It's the intention that counts."
Naruto caught Sasuke's attention and rolled his eyes in Kakashi's direction. Sasuke shook his head, smiling thinly for a second. The smile disappeared as he looked ahead. Naruto followed his gaze and realized that they were already at the Ichiraku stand. His amusement faded as well.
"You know," he said, shifting from one foot to the other, "I don't think I'm in the mood for ramen…"
Teuchi's voice rose from inside the stand. "My best customer not in the mood for ramen, what has the world come to?"
Laughing, Kakashi pushed the banners aside to let Naruto and Sasuke in. They exchanged a glance and entered the stand together. Rather than sitting at once, Naruto gave Teuchi a wary look.
"Welcome back, Naruto!" the old man said, maybe a little too brightly. "Come in, sit down!" His eyes shifted to Sasuke, and his smile tensed a little. "Uchiha-san." He inclined his head slightly. "Please sit."
Naruto gave Sasuke a sideways look, questioning him with his eyes. Sasuke shrugged before slowly sitting down next to Kakashi. Naruto sat on Sasuke's other side, and the three of them ordered. Teuchi was once again very formal when serving Sasuke. It was a bit strange, but it was certainly better than his refusal to serve him on Sasuke's first day in town.
"Speaking of Uchiha," Kakashi said as they started eating, "now that the district is back to your name, Sasuke-kun, are you going to lease the houses? My building is being renovated, and I'm looking for a place to stay."
Sasuke sounded surprised when he replied. "I haven't thought about it."
His chopsticks lowered halfway back to the bowl, Naruto froze. It all made sense, suddenly. He leaned forward to look at Kakashi beyond Sasuke, and pointed his chopstick at him beneath Sasuke's nose.
"So Tsunade didn't trust ANBU to keep both of us under surveillance, huh? She sent you to babysit us."
Sasuke pushed Naruto's hand – and his flailing chopstick – away in an absentminded gesture. Behind him, Kakashi didn't look up from his bowl of ramen as he answered almost cheerfully, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Naruto snorted and returned to his food. Kakashi wasn't fooling him for a minute. He felt vaguely insulted that Tsunade felt it necessary to add yet another guard over Sasuke. At the same time, though, he knew why she had, and he couldn't blame her. After all, Sasuke had managed to slip out of the village despite being under surveillance – and he had all but admitted he was planning murders.
After a moment, Sasuke said, "If you want to live there, that's fine. There are empty apartments in my building. You can have one."
This time, the chopsticks stopped halfway to Naruto's mouth. He stared at Sasuke with wide eyes. Kakashi seemed surprised as well. Sasuke seemed completely unaffected by their stares.
"If she sent you to keep an eye on me, you must know a lot."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything.
"Like what's going to happen in three days," Sasuke insisted.
After a few silent seconds had trickled by, Kakashi finally said, "Maybe."
Sasuke nodded, apparently satisfied. "The more people around to protect the dobe," he muttered, "the better."
Naruto started protesting, but Kakashi stood. He paid for their meals and nodded.
"Well, I've got to go. I'll see you two later. Don't do anything stupid until then."
Naruto buried a grumble in his bowl. Kakashi was just getting away before he could order again. It wasn't like he wouldn't be trailing them anyway.
He finished eating under Sasuke's slightly impatient eyes, and they finally left the stand together. Hands buried in his pockets, Naruto repeatedly kicked at a small rock in front of him.
"You're awfully gloomy for someone who just had three helpings of his favorite dish," Sasuke commented after a little while.
Naruto grumbled something under his breath.
"What was that?"
"I said, you didn't need to call me dobe."
"Come on, you know you missed it."
Naruto glared at him. "I missed a lot of things while you were gone. But you insulting me? Not so much. What idiot would miss being insulted on a daily basis?"
Naruto had taken a couple more steps in the almost empty street before he realized Sasuke had stopped. He turned back toward him, finding a strange look in Sasuke's eyes.
"I missed it," Sasuke said quietly.
Speechless, Naruto stared at him. The warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of his stomach was most peculiar.
"Well, that's because you're a bastard," he muttered.
He could have sworn Sasuke grinned before he turned on his heel and entered the clothes shop on his right. Frowning, Naruto hurried after him. The shop was filled with traditional outfits and elaborate kimonos. Keeping his hands in his pockets, Naruto looked around, feeling very glad that he wasn't from a big clan. He would have hated wearing these too long, too ample clothes. He slowly made his way to the counter where Sasuke was talking to the seamstress.
"I always keep ceremonial kimonos for all the major clans," the gray-haired woman was saying. "I should have some left with the Uchiha fan. Let me check…"
She disappeared into a back room, returning after a moment with her arms full of kimonos in different colors. Sasuke sorted through the pile, picking two dark gray kimonos.
"I need them fitted now."
She nodded. "Of course, this way."
Naruto yawned as he watched Sasuke disappear in the backroom. This was a terrible way to spend their day. They could have done a lot of other things, much more interesting things. He blushed as he thought about it, his mouth suddenly very dry. With the half-formed desire to see Sasuke without his clothes again, he entered the back room. Sadly, Sasuke was fully clothed in one of the kimonos, standing on a small pedestal while the seamstress pinned the hems and sleeves.
"Why do you want that, anyway?" he asked, a little bored. "You can't fight in a kimono."
Sasuke replied in a perfectly blank voice. "If I'm going to ask for clan justice, I have to look the part."
Naruto nodded, though in truth he didn't really get it. He didn't see what dressing up had to do with asking for justice. Maybe it was a clan thing. It wasn't as though he'd know anything about that.
When the seamstress was done, Sasuke slipped the kimono off – he was fully dressed underneath – and pointed at Naruto.
"The other one is for him."
Naruto gaped at him. He had to have heard that wrong. "What?"
Sasuke motioned for him to step forward. "Come on here. Put it on."
Instinctively, Naruto took a step back, raising his hands defensively in front of him. "But I don't—"
Sasuke didn't let him finish. "Partners, remember?" he said, his voice toneless.
Swallowing heavily, Naruto blinked. His throat felt tight but he managed to push out a quiet, "OK."
He felt very silly when the seamstress had him slip the kimono on, tied it just so for him, and had him stand with his arms raised on either side of him as she worked on the hem. When he glanced down, however, and saw the red and white fan over his heart, then when he looked at Sasuke, he decided that he could stand feeling foolish a little longer. If Sasuke kept smiling, it was worth it.