The chapters of this fic are re-edited to enhance the reading experience.
Chapter 1: Confronting the Truth
"You didn't need to put Sakura under genjutsu," Naruto's voice echoed in the stillness of the breezy air, his eyes locked on Sasuke's back as the dark-haired ninja strode purposefully forward.
"If I didn't" he replied, his voice low and resolute. "She would have just chase after us and gotten in the way"
"Sasuke, you know she wants to help you," Kakashi interjected smoothly, stepping up beside Naruto. "She's been through so much for you already. She suffers from loving you."
Sasuke's head turned sharply at Kakashi's words, his dark eyes flashing with a mixture of irritation and disbelief. "Do you think I enjoy a romance?" he spat, his voice dripping with scorn. "I don't have any reason to love her or to be loved by her! Naruto, just come..."
Without another word, Sasuke broke into a sprint, his feet pounding against the rough ground as he made a beeline for the Valley of the End. Naruto hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering over to Kakashi, who gave him a nod of encouragement. With a determined nod, Naruto chased after Sasuke, his heart heavy with the weight of their shared history and uncertain future.
As they ran, Naruto's mind raced with memories of their past encounters. He remembered the first time they had faced each other on the roof of the hospital, how Sasuke had looked at him with cold disdain and barely contained anger. He remembered their fight at the Valley of the End, how Sasuke had unleashed the full power of his curse mark and nearly killed him. He remembered the pain and regret in Sasuke's eyes as he had walked away, determined to destroy Konoha and everything it stood for.
Naruto's fists clenched at his sides as he watched Sasuke leap up onto the head of Madara Uchiha, his own body landing lightly on the head of Hashirama Senju. The valley stretched out before them, a vast expanse of rocky terrain and craggy cliffs, illuminated by the pale light of the moon. Naruto bit his lip, feeling a familiar mixture of fear and determination roiling inside him. This was it. The moment of truth. Suddenly, Sasuke's voice shattered his reverie, yanking him back to the present.
"Naruto, is it really necessary?" Sasuke said while sitting on the statue with one hand resting on his knee.
"Huh? What is really necessary?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded and taken aback by this sudden question.
"I said, is it really necessary to fight this battle?" Sasuke questioned Naruto. This question took Naruto off guard. 'Sasuke...'
Sasuke remembered Itachi's last words while talking to Kabuto. He himself had said that walking alone and doing all things alone can't do any good to anyone. He wanted someone with him, but closing his eyes, he couldn't find anyone to stand with other than the one standing in front of him: Naruto. Yes, that's the only one he could call his true comrade, who hadn't lost hope on him and can truly understand how he feels as they suffered from same pain. He was the only one he could trust. So this was it, he was going to follow Itachi's ideology, but he would include Naruto in his way of peace.
"What are you saying? Yes, it's really not important to fight this battle. If you come to the-"
"Then come with me, join me. I can't kill you. I want you to be by my side to bring peace to the shinobi world from the shadows," Sasuke said, looking straight into Naruto's eyes with his own desperate ones.
"Sasuke! What are you saying? Your method of peace is nothing but evil!"
"Tell me this, Naruto. Will your method of peace work? Will all the village remain in peace even after I come with you and release the jutsu? The people will just return to their normal lives, and their hatred will shift from the Akatsuki to each other, to the other villages. Do you want this to happen, now that we have the power to change everything? TELL ME!"
Sasuke shouted the last part. Naruto was taken aback by this sudden outburst. He hadn't realized it earlier. He didn't know that this was possible, that the village would return again to their quest for power. But he wasn't going to accept that. He would try hard to maintain the unity between the village.
"Sasuke, I don't know what will happen in the future. But I'm pretty sure that-that..." Naruto's mind went blank. He couldn't say that. He wasn't the one to lie. He knew the cruelty of the shinobi world. He was quite sure that things would return to the same power-hungry nations.
"See Naruto," Sasuke continued, "you don't have an answer. Many people try to achieve peace through your method, like Hashirama, the previous Asura reincarnate, who united the clans under the umbrella of a village and made peace between them. But he failed to do this between the tailed beasts and other villages, which led to three wars between the villages."
Naruto remained silent, his mind racing with thoughts of Hashirama and his own role in the shinobi world.
"You, the present reincarnate, can unite the tailed beasts, but I can't say that it will happen with the village if you go by that ideology of yours. The tailed beasts need love and respect from fellow humans, which they see in you. But humans...hmph! Humans are selfish and pitiful. They can't unite with such things. We, you and me, must become the central hatred of this world. We must direct all the hatred of the villages towards us, so that they can remain united and have a common enemy: us. I know you want to become Hokage, and you can become the Kage of all the villages with me. Together, we can ensure true peace within the village."
Naruto felt his heart pounding in his chest. This was a lot to take in, but he knew that Sasuke was right. If they were going to achieve true peace, they needed to take drastic measures. And if that meant becoming the most hated people in the world, then so be it.
Naruto is lost in thought. 'Is it really the truth? Yes, we both have the power to control the world according to our ways. We can set the future of the shinobi world. But one mistake, and all will be in vain. Sasuke's ideology is something, I hate to admit, that's based on actual possibility. People will go to war again, and hate people of other villages. I can't do that. I promised Nagato, and the pervy sage, to bring true peace. Maybe, just maybe, Sasuke is right. But what will others think of me? I will be hated once again...'
"Sa-Sasuke, are you really sure? I mean..."
"I know you don't want hatred against you. But if you don't want to come with me, if you want to live a so-called temporary happy life, being loved by everyone, go to war and fight and kill thousands of people. Then you're free to go ahead and do that," Sasuke says, now facing the sky.
Naruto's mind is in turmoil, weighing the pros and cons of his decision.
Sasuke starts again. "I believe you to be my closest and only bond in this world. That's why I want your support. We both suffer the pain of loneliness, a result of this hatred. I alone will have difficulty achieving such a dream, but I want you, you as my brother, to stand beside me and take this burden with me. Naruto!" Sasuke has nothing but determination in his eyes.
'This is the longest Sasuke has ever spoken to anyone in his life.'
"This is it for Naruto. He wants true peace more than anything, more than his own acknowledgement. He doesn't want any more bloodshed. He is willing to take all the hate of the people if it means saving thousands of lives and ending the cycle of hatred. And Sasuke has just acknowledged him as his brother. Yes, they are brothers. They will achieve true peace together, acting as each other's pillar. Naruto smiles a little. "You know, I thought I was the best at talk-no-jutsu, but this time you really outdid me," he says. Sasuke is nothing but surprised. "Hey, do you mean you..." "Yeah, I accept this," Naruto says, cutting him off.
Sasuke takes a deep breath and nods his head, "Thank you, Naruto." The two stand there for a moment, just letting the weight of their decision sink in.
Naruto and Sasuke confront the truth of their situation, forcing them to make a difficult decision. In the end, they come to an understanding and agree to work together to achieve their vision of a peaceful world. However, their journey is not easy, and they face many challenges and obstacles along the way. Stay tuned for the next chapter, where we will see how their plan unfolds and what the future holds for these two unlikely allies.
This is a short Chapter but kind of sets up the Plot for the fic. Please follow and review the story. This is my first-time writing, but I am confident that I will finish it with the support of you guys. Your reviews and suggestions will help me shape the story in a way that is enjoyable for the majority of readers. Thank you for your visit, and please follow the story for further updates. And don't forget to leave a review!