Three times when Sasuke made up his mind, and one time when he couldn't

...

"Sasuke!"

Naruto's shout reverberated over the waterfall. Sasuke froze for a second. It would've been better if that idiot hadn't caught up with him – better for both of them. Shaking his head lightly, he took another step, leaving Naruto behind like he had left Konoha.

Naruto, of course, did not take the hint. "What, you're going to run away?"

Trust Naruto to state the obvious. It didn't look like he was going to give up anytime soon. With an inward sigh, Sasuke turned to look at him. The idiot looked angry. Even a little hurt. He didn't get it, did he? He didn't get that this was not some hot-blooded decision Sasuke had made, something he could be talked out of doing. He didn't get how important this was for Sasuke.

He didn't get that he was risking his life by being there.

Sasuke met his eyes, and in that one instant, he made his decision. He didn't want to kill Naruto. He'd left Konoha in part so he wouldn't be reminded, day after day, of the power he could obtain by killing his best friend. But if Naruto was there, if he was standing in the way…

He didn't want to kill Naruto. But he would.

...

It was as the black flames of the Amaterasu died that Sasuke made up his mind. In that moment, he realized that he was running out of time.

Just days earlier, he had been sure that after killing Itachi he would have all the time in the world in front of him to decide what to do. A few unexpected revelations had changed all that. If he waited much longer, there wouldn't be anyone left in Konoha. There wouldn't be a Konoha left.

The decision was made. He would deliver the Eight Tails to Akatsuki, and then he would make his way back to Konoha. He needed to figure out if Madara had told him the truth. Just as importantly, he needed to get to Naruto before Akatsuki did. He needed to see if he was still the same loudmouthed idiot. He needed to see if his feelings had changed – and to figure out if there was any chance Naruto felt the same way.

...

"And in the meantime, you can live with me."

Sasuke tried not to show any reaction. He didn't want to hear more in that casual offer than Naruto had actually meant.

"You heard her," Naruto added. "I'm supposed to keep an eye on you. It'll be easier if I don't have to hunt you down all the time."

Of course, Sasuke thought. Naruto was just being practical. He was, after all, on guard duty. "Finally tired of running after me?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.

Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets. "There wasn't a chance in hell of that happening."

Again, Sasuke was tempted to interpret Naruto's words in the light of his own feelings. Holding his hopes at bay, he followed Naruto home. The idiot started rambling about the size of his place – as though Sasuke cared about stuff like that – and Sasuke told him he talked too much. What Sasuke did care about was the picture on the dresser, still displayed prominently even years after Team Seven had come to an end. Yet again, he had to stop himself from seeing too much in it.

"At least I talk. Unlike certain other people in here."

It was those grumbled words that made up Sasuke's mind. Naruto was part of why he'd come back to Konoha. He could wait for clues and hints forever – except, he didn't have forever. It was time to get on with it. He just didn't think he could use words. Maybe actions would work just as well, or even better…

"Do you remember the Valley of the End?" he asked. "Our first time there?"

"What about it?"

The words clung to Sasuke's throat; he pushed them out anyway. "You said I was like your brother."

He kept pushing after that, figuratively and literally, and took a leap of faith that the word 'friend' that passed Naruto's lips could mean something else, something more.

Those same lips were soft against his. They pressed back. They parted to let his tongue inside.

Sasuke had rarely been so relieved in his life that he'd made the right decision.

...

"You're ready?"

The tip of his tongue caught between his teeth, Naruto finished his letter with his best penmanship. If it was the last thing he left behind, he wanted it to be legible, at least.

"Just a minute," he finally replied, sensing Sasuke's edginess.

He read the note over. It wasn't very long, but it said all he wanted to say in case he died – or in case he never returned to the village. Satisfied with his work, he signed the scroll and rolled it. Reaching behind his neck, he lifted the necklace over his head and wrapped the chain around the scroll. It was strange not to feel the familiar crystals against his skin anymore.

"Naruto?"

He looked up to see Sasuke watch him with just a trace of confusion. He forced a smile to his lips and stood, leaving the necklace and scroll on the kitchen table.

"I'm ready now."

Naruto shivered when they stepped out of the building. The night was cold, with an icy wind chasing thin clouds across the sky, covering and uncovering the stars in turns. The first light of morning was at least two hours away, but Naruto felt ready. He'd never been as awake, or as aware of the changes just one day would bring. He looked at Sasuke at his side, and felt a boost of confidence. They'd be OK, whatever happened.

Before they had even stepped out of the district, they were joined by their bodyguards. Kakashi waved at them before taking the lead. Sai and the other ANBU flanked them. In just minutes, the five of them were standing on the roof of the Hokage Tower. Kakashi quietly exchanged a few words via his headset with the central command before pulling out a familiar book from his belt pouch.

"Your show," he said simply, and that was all Naruto needed. Sitting down with his legs crossed, he winked at Sasuke before closing his eyes. "Watch this," he said, already boasting, and reached for the calm that would allow him to draw on natural chakra. He hadn't used it in his fight with Sasuke, and part of him was glad to be able to show him, and Kakashi, too, what he was able to do now.

"If it's a show of strength you want, I could help."

An edge of laughter colored Kyuubi's words, and they almost sounded like a threat. For a second, they were on the verge of shattering Naruto's concentration, but he held on to it even as he found himself in front of the familiar cage in his mind.

"Not this time," he told the red eyes that glowed in the darkness. "You've got no place in this fight."

"No place?" Kyuubi roared. "They have no interest in you, boy. It's me they want."

"And they won't get you. Or me. Now shut up and let me concentrate."

Kyuubi continued to grumble, but Naruto retreated from the cage and focused instead on getting into sage mode. He probably wouldn't be able to use that strength to fight - he still needed more training to fully master it - but it would work quite well as a beacon for Akatsuki. After a few more moments, he could feel power coursing through him and surrounding him, wrapping him in a flow of ever-shifting chakra. Taking a deep breath, he allowed himself to move again and opened his eyes to find that Sasuke was sitting cross-legged in front of him, elbows resting on his knees and his fingers locked in front of his face. In the darkness, it took Naruto a few seconds to realize Sasuke was watching him through the sharingan.

"Nice," Sasuke said simply.

Naruto huffed, a little offended. "Nice? That's all you have to say?"

Sasuke shrugged, a slight smile pulling at his lips. "I'd have said impressive, if you hadn't needed a full ten minutes of perfect stillness to do this. You haven't had a lot of opportunities to use this chakra in actual fights, have you?"

Grimacing, Naruto looked away. Sai was looking at the village, as was his partner. Kakashi was reading. Clearly, Sasuke wasn't the only one not to be impressed. After all his hard work, it was rather disappointing.

Kakashi suddenly put his book away and pulled up his forehead protector to reveal his sharingan eye. He briefly touched the microphone on his throat – "Got it." – and looked at Naruto and Sasuke. "There we go. The barrier around the village was breached. Time to run."

Standing, Naruto gave Sasuke a grin. "Catch me if you can."

He was running before he finished saying the last word, still grinning and trying not to think about what was going on. The villagers would be safe, he told himself. Akatsuki was after him, and the faster he got out of the village, the better for everyone.

He held on to the natural chakra as he leaped from roof to roof, letting his own energy flare as well. No shinobi would be able to ignore his presence – or so he hoped.

When he finally got out of the village, he started seeing Konoha shinobi, lying in wait in the forest. He tried not to look at them too much; tried to wonder which of them would not return from this fight. Each group was supposed to take on one of the members of Akatsuki, diluting their power by separating them. At least, that was the plan. Even with the information Sasuke had given them, there was still a lot they didn't know.

He finally reached the clearing and stopped. The next second, Sasuke and the others were there, spreading out around him. Less than a minute passed before three cloaked figures joined them, standing at a small distance. The tall one had to be Juugo, Naruto thought, thinking of what Sasuke had told him. The red-haired girl was Karin; even in the darkness, it was clear that she wasn't as pretty as Sakura. And the last one had to be Suigetsu. Without losing a second, Sasuke strode toward them.

"Change of plans," he said, his voice strong and assured. "We're fighting Akatsuki."

They stared at him, and Karin asked, "We what?"

Sasuke tilted his head toward Naruto. "We're protecting this idiot."

Suigetsu almost sounded disappointed when he said, "You said we were going to destroy Konoha."

"As I said, change of plans. You can either leave now and do whatever you want, or keep Naruto safe and earn your place in the village."

Suigetsu looked at him and bared his teeth in a rather frightening grin. "Thanks for the offer, but no thanks."

"So you don't want to fight Kisame?" Sasuke asked, an eyebrow raised in mild surprise.

Suitgetsu hesitated. "Well… I do, but I don't care about this guy," he said, gesturing toward Naruto, "or his village."

"Then fight Kisame and leave. No one will force you to stay."

After eyeing the Konoha ninjas in turns, as though evaluating how hard they would be to defeat if they tried to force him to live in a village, he finally nodded. Sasuke looked at Karin at once. "What about you?"

Her narrowed eyes were locked on Naruto, showing clear dislike.

"Karin?" Sasuke said, a little impatiently.

She started at the sound of her name and looked at Sasuke. Shaking her head, she said bitterly, "I always wondered what was wrong with me. I wasn't the right gender, huh?"

Naruto gritted his teeth. He didn't care about the way she looked at him, but he didn't like the way she looked at Sasuke at all.

Sasuke didn't reply. Instead, he asked, "Are you staying or leaving?"

"I don't need a new village. And I don't care to die fighting for your boyfriend. I'm out of here."

Sasuke turned to Juugo. Before he could say a word, Karin was stepping forward, hands on her hips. "Is that it? You're not even going to try and convince me to stay?"

He shrugged. "You're free. You made your decision. I don't have time for games."

She crossed her arms and huffed. "Well, I changed my mind. I'm staying."

He nodded as though he hadn't expected anything different. Turning again to the last member of his team, he said simply, "Juugo?"

"What are you doing?" Juugo asked. "Are you staying in Konoha?"

For the first time, Sasuke seemed to hesitate. "I don't know yet," he admitted in a low voice that sounded pained.

"I'll decide once you have," Juugo said. "For now, I'll fight."

Not caring about whether Sasuke's team fought or not, Naruto looked carefully at Sasuke himself. He looked mildly annoyed – which wasn't anything new – but this time the annoyance appeared to be directed inward, which was a first. He touched Sasuke's shoulder lightly, drawing his attention. The sharingan in Sasuke's eyes was spinning wildly.

"Hey. It's OK," he said quietly. "Whatever you decide, I'm with you."

Sasuke nodded, but his annoyance did not fade.

"Are we ready here?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke nodded, his eyes never moving away from Naruto's. "Yes."

"Good," Karin said behind him, sounding on edge suddenly. "Because here they come."