A/N: Hi, guys and gals, so a lot of people have been asking me questions about the story in reviews and such. Because of this, I'm answering them ALL in this one statement: NOTHING HAS CHANGED AT ALL IN THE STORY. Everything in the REAL Naruto story stayed true: Like, Sasuke has the curse mark from Orochimaru, all the battles happened the exact same way, etc. It's just the confrontation on the rooftop and the Final Valley battle with its results are my original idea.

And to make everyone know sure, NO, THIS IS NOT A YAOI STORY (or however you pronounce that). I strongly believe that two people, especially two males, can be close friends and not mean it automatically leads into sexual attraction. This is a story of strong friendship, not strong love.

And WOW! Over 2,000 views. Guys, I appreciate this so much. Keep it up as we go back to the story...

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Kakashi looked at Sakura for a few seconds with silence. She look determined and her will was strong, but was she really ready for all of this? She witnessed her very team practically break apart in front of her one day, and she seemed to still be a tad rattled still. He closed his eyes thinking of how to deal with her. Just to brush her aside and say everything would be fine didn't work how he wanted. He needed to test her if she was ready.

"Sakura, why do you want to come with me?" he asked her gently.

Briefly looking down, she soon looked up to him and said, "It's because I haven't been a teammate... or a friend."

"You mean that you haven't really been doing your part on the team?" Kakashi asked, trying to verify if his guess was correct.

"Maybe that... or maybe I don't know," Sakura said, rubbing her arm, "but what I do know is that I haven't been a teammate or a friend to Naruto."

Ahhh, so this is what it was about. Surprisingly, he would've thought she'd come to assist Sasuke, after all: she basically was jumping for joy when they were on the same team. But this was new, and this wasn't going to be as easy as Sakura may have thought. He sighed, rubbing his neck, giving Pakkun a bit of a glance, then back to her.

"Sakura, I'm going to be honest with you; depending on your REAL reason why you're tagging along with us, it might make it harder to convince Naruto to come back," Kakashi regretfully said to the girl, causing her to widen his eyes in shock and hurt, "So, let me ask you; is the reason you're wanting to come because of something that happened recently?"

Sure enough, a slow nod started to make Sakura's head move, as she kept her face lowered. With feelings of concern, he walked closer to her.

"Is this recent event something between you and Naruto that you haven't told anyone yet?" he asked.

Sakura trembled a bit at the sound of that question, Kakashi picked up. He could tell it in how her body language began to close in, how she held her breath when it whimpered, and how she immediately looked up at him. Her eyes were filled with realization and remorse. Something had happened. Maybe not the thing that convinced Naruto to go, but maybe had a role to play inside of the conviction of the boy's heart to throw away everything he held dear.

"Sakura... if you truly want to go with me... I need you to tell me everything that happened in this encounter of yours with him," Kakashi bent down on a knee to listen.

"Kakashi?" Pakkun asked, walking over, "Do you think it's wise to bring her along? If those two could really-"

Cutting him off before he could speak, the jonin said, "Sakura's apart of Squad 7. It would be unfair for me to just leave her behind when this involved the whole team."

The ninken giving him an agreeing nod, Kakashi then turned his head to Sakura, "All right, please tell me what happened between you and Naruto."

With that, Sakura took a deep breath, let out a gentle exhale, and then began to tell the flashback of what happened that night...

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"I'm not really gonna need anything..."

The words were spoken by Naruto in his apartment room. He looked at all the things he would soon leave and forsake. All the empty ramen cups, things thrown on the floor, his messed-up bed, everything. He gave one good look around his room to make sure he was ready to leave.

It was then the picture appeared. That one where Sakura and Kakashi were happy, yet Sasuke looked dull as ever, and showed him jealous. It used to make him smile, but looking at his angry face just showed to him how unhappy things were. It was no longer a treat to be apart of a team. It was all a lie, all empty. Kakashi always focused on his rival more than him, masking why he couldn't train him with lies. Sakura always belittling him, and always dreaming about his rival...

Then here WAS the rival, Sasuke. Everything he wanted to be: Cool, wise, intelligent, skilled, popular. But now... he really did think like everyone else. It was true. The hopes of having those words uttered to him at the Chunin preliminaries were all bull; nothing he said mattered anymore. He closed his eyes and began to walk out of the room.

That is... until the glare of the moonlight caught the metal part of his forehead protector headband. It made Naruto turn and walk slowly back to it. The whole memories of his beginning; being tricked by Mizuki after he lost his third chance to graduate, the bell training with his team, the mission with Haku and Zabuza, and everything that followed up until now. It all meant so much to him at one point. The headband; everything he fought for.

It's not like he'd ever see it like that again. He was naïve and foolish; no one would change their mind about him. But then... why? Why couldn't he turn away from the headband? Maybe it just was so valuable to him. The gift from Iruka... maybe he'd hold onto it. Yeah, he'll do that.

With that, Naruto took the headband and stuffed it into his shuriken holster, along with his other weapons. With a loud scoff-like let out of air, he swiftly walked away from everything, closing the door, and soon rooftop jumping his way to the entrance of the Leaf Village.

But halfway there caused him to stop. He realized that he was passing by the apartment that Sasuke lived in. Some odd force compelled him to just stop and look over into the window. He could see Sasuke tossing and turning, having trouble falling asleep. He looked more peaceful to Naruto now. Maybe because he didn't have to worry about his constant 'loser' attitude, Kakashi's bull excuses, or Sakura's fangirl actions. It caused a smile on Naruto's face for a bit, remembering all the cool battles they had together.

"You… an idiot like you has no business talking all high and mighty!"

The sentences that Sasuke shouted at him began to ring in his head as his smile faded into a frown.

"There's no reason to put it on, for you won't be able to ever land a scratch on my forehead."

He closed his eyes, trying to focus on something else than these words.

"There you go again, talking all high and mighty! You don't honestly believe we're equals, do you?"

His teeth soon clenched against another as he clamped his eyes tighter.

"Oh, please, don't make me laugh! You're an embarrassment!"

He literally clapped his hands over his ears, grunting loudly as he felt more and more worthless.

"Tch, please. You honestly think I'd be embarrassed… by a MONSTER like you? You're pathetic, Naruto."

He opened his eyes looking blankly at nothing as he realized that was the boy's true feelings. Monster. Worthless. Monster. Embarrassment. Monster. Idiot. Monster... Monster... Monster...

Naruto felt a lump in his throat as his eyes felt moist. He flinched when recognizing he was on the verge of crying. He grunted loudly as he wiped his eyes and cleared his throat. Being loud enough for Sasuke to hear. The boy sat up and looked up, turning to see the window. His eyes briefly caught Naruto's face and emotion, whom which gasped upon being seen and immediately jumped away. Sasuke hurried out of bed and to his window, opening it. He looked as if he wanted to talk to Naruto, but once he did, there was no sign of him. He looked every direction.

"Naruto?"

But no answer. He ended up sighing and closing the window in vain. He lost the chance to find Naruto's reason for being there at this time of night, and would be a waste of energy to just jump out and try to locate him. It would be the start of the thought process that would keep Sasuke up during the night, until the dreadful news Shikamaru would later unfold.

Naruto had been hiding out of view against a wall, silent as death as he waited for Sasuke to shut his window. Once he did, he kept staring up hopelessly at it. All of his strength faded in a moment as he looked down and leaned against the wall. It was uncontrollable; he couldn't stop it. They rolled down his face, just briefly as he gritted his teeth in an attempt to not cry. But the tears kept forming and crawling down his face.

"...I thought... I thought you were different, Sasuke... I thought that maybe... we were friends..."

His head dropping, he pushed off the wall and wiped his eyes dry.

"But then... that would make me so stupid... Well, you won't worry about me anymore; you focus on Itachi from now on. I will never get in your way again," he barely said, as his voice cracked into a whisper.

From then, it wasn't long until Naruto reached the only pathway leading out of the village by foot. It was the very same pathway he had faked trying to be Sasuke in order to get closer to Sakura. It was funny; this path used to mean getting close, but now it leads far away. The gentle cold breeze made the trees rustle, refusing to let silence take the night's sound. Naruto... was unable to feel if he'd miss the village or not.

Suddenly, footsteps. Other than his. He looked up to see that it was her. Sakura. She had been there all along, sitting there at night. Her odd-colored eyes met his pure and bold ones, both standing and facing each other.

Whatever was going on with him, she knew it wasn't good. The headband, the one he bragged about that afternoon about being a testimony to fighting on equal terms as Leaf ninja, the one that you wouldn't catch Naruto dead without, the same one he bragged about so childishly, yet... so funny to people. It wasn't there. Not this time.

But his eyes were red. He had been crying, she knew it. And his slouched form showed he was truly tired. But tired of what? Maybe everything that's happened to him? Maybe that's why? But she kept quiet, letting him speak.

"S... Sakura..." Naruto asked, concerned, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just decided to come and get some fresh air," Sakura answered, smiling a bit, "I love this place here. You know it's the only way out of the village, right?"

There was no mistake now. Naruto got the hint, just like that. Sakura knew he would try to leave, so she waited for him. But she held a smile still, trying to make him cheer up. But the boy couldn't. Everything was too hard. But he would try. Soon, he made a smile and closed his eyes cheerfully, like he would always do.

"Hey, don't ya think you're gonna catch a cold out here? Besides, your parents must be worried sick," he tried to reason.

"No, I asked them, and they said I could stay out here as long as I wanted. How about you, Naruto?" she replied back, winking at him, "What are you doing out here?"

His heart struggled to tell her the truth, but he couldn't. He knew something about her would say otherwise. He just couldn't. He rubbed his head as he attempted to pass her.

"Ahh, the same thing, really. Ya know, with me being a hothead and all, I've really needed time to myself to cool off," he spoke to her as he walked, "By the way, Sakura, sorry for how I-"

"You're leaving."

The sudden sentence caused his arm to drop to his side slowly as he stared off in front of him, like a child who's been busted on sneaking away with something. His eyes slowly relaxed as he lost his cheerful disposition, letting the wind blow it away.

Sakura turned around, tears in her eyes, and looked at him with a saddened face, "You're leaving the village, aren't you?"

She just watched Naruto stand there with his back turned to her, the only thing was his hair and clothes that moved because of the wind. She saw him lower his head briefly, as if he tried to think of something to say. But she knew what was coming. He raised his head up and soon let those dreadful words come out.

"Yes, I am."

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I'm really excited to be writing this Naruto-Sakura confrontation. I really thought of a good conversation they have, and I really got emotional when I wrote this. I know what it's like to be left as an outcast, so I could relate to how Naruto felt. Keep on reading! ^^