Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Naruto; that honourr is Masashi Kishimoto's
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Somewhere in the sound village, Sasuke was walking to the place where he would meet Orochimaru along with the previously leaf village spy Kabuto Yakoshi
Sasuke was led into a room which he presumed to be the lab, like pigs for experiments there were men and women locked in cells
"Hehe Sasuke, you are the chosen one," said Orochimaru in a slick voice
"I don't care... just give me power," Sasuke replied arrogantly
Kabuto seemed scared by the Sasuke used his words as he whispered in his ear
"Please, speak respectfully to lord Orochimaru that if you do not want to die that is,"
Sasuke just stared at the kabuto as if he saw a birthday clown dancing and flared his chakra mixed with killing intent
'Wh...what is this chakra I feel?' Kabuto thought
"Ahh... my future lies within you," Orochimaru exclaimed as he laughed like a madman which he is
Konohagakure no Sato
Naruto had the hardest time of his life, he had to choose between his promise to Sakura of bringing back Sasuke or giving up being a Ninja of leaf
After leaving the hospital Shikamaru visited him again, Naruto chose not to speak with him as they stayed silent
Naruto was walking home after the final treatment by Tsunade.
As his thoughts drifted to the rough teammate of his.
Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha…
Naruto never thought this day would come when he'd have to think about what they are to each other, but…then again, when he was younger, he never thought he'd have friends or anyone who cared about him at all, so…
When they were kids, he was jealous of Sasuke, but he wanted to be like him, too. He also felt a camaraderie with him because they were orphans without anyone to care for them. They both knew what that gaping, aching loneliness was like. At least…that's how he felt.
But Sasuke…
Now that he really, honestly, truly thinks about it…all Sasuke ever did was belittle him, push him away, always treat him like…well, like he was more than a bother, more than the worst Academy student, like…
Dirt is the only word that comes to mind. Maybe less and worse than that.
Sasuke was…the worst to him out of everyone. At the time, Naruto had thought it was just Sasuke being too proud to admit he gave a damn about anyone or anything except himself and his revenge…but thinking back on it now…
Did Sasuke ever talk to him civilly? Did he ever say good morning or goodnight? Did he ever say hi or see you later? Those are small things, he knows, tiny, insignificant things that almost no one else would give a single damn about, but to Naruto… Naruto, they're everything. And Sasuke should have known that – hell, did, he had to have, he'd seen Naruto light up every single time any of the others would say them to him – and yet…and yet…
Did he ever even say happy birthday to him? He never expected a present, of course, he wasn't that delusional, but he didn't think a happy birthday from his teammate was too much to ask. Naruto had wished him a happy birthday and had secretly slipped a present in his room (without Sasuke even noticing, which Naruto had counted as a personal win at the time). He'd never even gotten a 'thank you,' not that that was the point. It was just…the principle of the thing. And again, Sasuke had to have known how important that was to him…
And more than that, then all of that…when Sasuke left the village, made it abundantly clear that he didn't want him around, to follow him, to save him, Naruto just thought it was the Curse Mark's influence. But still, even with that excuse…Sasuke tried to kill him. You can dress it up any way you want – call it a friendly spat, an argument gone wrong, a battle of wills, whatever – but…at the end of the day, Sasuke's intent was to murder him in cold blood, just for the sake of furthering his revenge. Naruto was on the brink of death when Kakashi-sensei found him. He completely wrecked his entire body. Even with his advanced healing, it took him half a week to recover.
Pervy Sage is warning him... He told Naruto that Sasuke left of his own free will, that he was beyond saving, and that a friend would never do this to him…but Naruto thought he knew better. Up until this point, he still did.
He just…he thought, if he just trained hard and got strong enough, Sasuke would finally treat him like an equal, like someone worth his time and attention, and maybe…if he was really, insanely lucky, he could even persuade him to try coming back to the village. When he did, he'd see that Naruto was right all along – that revenge wasn't worth trading every good thing in his life, and that hatred would only taint and twist his soul until there was nothing left for him in the world at all.
That…that they could be friends…
Because he's just now realizing…they never really were.
A few tears fall, staining the bandages on his hand, a shaking, white-knuckled fist curled in the cloth. He has to purse his lips as more rush to join them.
Maybe…he should have taken their entire lives growing up together as a hint. Maybe he shouldn't have assumed they were the same and hid their pain behind the masks they showed the world. Maybe he should have known when they were teammates in life-or-death situations, and he still didn't care (that one time with Haku doesn't count; Sasuke even said his body moved on its own). Maybe he shouldn't have given him the benefit of the doubt so many times and started taking his words and actions at face value.
Maybe, if he did, then…he wouldn't be in this situation right now.
Maybe he wouldn't be in so much pain, physical and emotional.
Maybe he would have realized sooner that… Sasuke is just a means to an end. That's all he's ever been. A goal to reach and then grind into dust in his climb to the top.
And now that he knows all this, now that he knows where they stand…
He remembers hearing something once: love yourself enough to let them go. He didn't understand it then, never thought he would because he could never imagine letting one of his friends go anywhere he couldn't (wouldn't) follow.
But now…he thinks he gets it. So much more intimately than he ever ever wanted to.
Pervy Sage's words echo in his mind again. "To be a shinobi, you need more than strength and jutsu. You must acquire the judgment to make the right decisions..."
So, this is how it feels, then…? To make the 'right decisions'…?
His shoulders quake with suppressed sobs as tears rain down, and he swears he'll always be grateful for the way Shikamaru and Jiraiya enlightened him.
This has been a long time coming