Headband
It sits on his windowsill, shining in the sunlight, reminding him of what he left behind, and what he came back to.
But he can't bring himself to put it on. Well he does occasionally, when he has to for ceremonies or large battles, but other than that he just can't. It's not that he's 'too good' for it its that it, and all that it entails, is something that he tried to destroy. He doesn't believe he is worthy.
Of course his teammates would say otherwise ("Stop being stupid Sasuke, put on the damn forehead protector.") And try telling him that after everything he has done, helping defeat Obito and Madara, defending the village from countless threats since and raising one of the finest genin teams, that he has earned the right to wear the symbol. But he still just lets it sit on the windowsill, colour fading from the fabric and light glinting off the metal plate.
He shows his loyalty to the village in other ways. Actions do speak louder than words, or forehead protectors in this case.
Sorry for not updating yesterday. I got called in for babysitting at the last minute. The same time as the manga got released in fact. So I got half the chapter read, then I had to go babysit, got home 4 hours later, missed my usual upload time (and I had nothing ready), finished the chapter and sat in a state of shock because OMFG that was awesome. Shukaku was hilarious, was he not?
