Chapter 3
The dawn barely tinged the sky when Sasuke woke up, feeling suffocated after yet another damn nightmare where he saw his entire family being murdered.
Sasuke got out of bed like a zombie and went downstairs to eat something light, passing by the exact spot where he had found his parents' bodies a couple of years ago.
He sat down at the empty dining table and forced himself to swallow the food, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Finally, he decided that all of this was ridiculous. He didn't need to keep living tormented by the memories of the past.
Having made up his mind, he went to the Hokage's office.
At the time, Sasuke had found it impossible to move out since he was a small, traumatized child. Then he had to face the coldness of the world, quickly learning to fend for himself, as money and a roof were not nearly enough for a seven-year-old to survive.
Overall, he had decided he was fine with his situation. It's impressive what kind of things a person can get used to when they have no other choice.
However... things change.
Sarutobi received him with his typical tired expression, as if he had lived too long. Sasuke got straight to the point:
―I want to move.
The Hokage squinted, measuring his words before speaking.
―I understand that the Uchiha complex might feel... lonely, ―he said with an almost compassionate tone―. But tell me, Sasuke, what do you plan to do with all that empty land?
Sasuke tensed up. Something in his tone made his nerves stand on end.
―What do you mean?
―Well, ―Sarutobi gestured with his hand―, in the past, the Uchiha clan's lands were very useful for the village. And there are many people who could take advantage of them being empty and try to seize them.
Sasuke felt his blood boil.
―That land belongs to the Uchiha ―he responded, gritting his teeth―. I won't be the one to destroy what my family built.
Sarutobi sighed and nodded with apparent resignation.
―As you wish. If that's all...
Sasuke didn't bother to respond. He simply turned around and left the office, his hands clenched into fists.
Still boiling with anger from the conversation with the Hokage, Sasuke headed to the training field.
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Sasuke arrived late to training with Naruto. The blonde was already practicing strikes on a tree trunk, but stopped when he saw him.
―Wow, what an honor for the great Sasuke Uchiha to grace us with his presence! I thought you'd fallen asleep.
Sasuke didn't answer. He just adopted a fighting stance.
Naruto frowned. Something was wrong. Sasuke was moving fast, but with a contained rage that made his movements lose precision.
Taking advantage of a mistake, Naruto lunged and knocked him to the ground with a sweep.
―Got you!
Sasuke clicked his tongue, embarrassed by the mistake. But before trying to get up, Naruto noticed something: his gaze was drifting towards the Hokage's tower. And in his eyes, there was more than just frustration. There was hatred.
Naruto extended his hand.
―Alright, this has gone on long enough. What's going on, Sasuke? What's wrong?
The Uchiha looked away.
―Nothing.
―Come on, tell me. You can tell me to mind my own business, but that doesn't mean I haven't noticed something's going on.
Sasuke clenched his jaw and suddenly exploded.
―Everything, everything is wrong! ―he spat, pounding the ground with a fist―. I can't even move out without them trying to take the little I have left. They want my land. As if they haven't taken enough from me already. As if living where my entire family died isn't unbearable enough.
The anger dissipated as quickly as it came, leaving only exhaustion in his expression.
Naruto didn't know much about clans, properties, or power struggles... but he did know what it felt like to be trapped in a life one didn't choose.
He sat down next to Sasuke in silence for a moment, giving him space to calm down. Then he smiled knowingly.
―Well... I don't know anything about politics, but I do know about loneliness... I don't like coming back to an empty home every day either. Maybe we can work something out.
Sasuke looked at him, confused.
―What are you talking about?
Naruto stood up, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
―I'll tell you in due time, but first, come on. Let's go paint the Hokage statues.
Sasuke blinked.
―What?
―Got a better idea? Because frankly, in that mood, you're more useful as a practice dummy than a training partner.
Sasuke should have said no. He should have ignored it and kept training. But when he saw Naruto's mischievous grin, he felt something strange: for a moment, the anger and sadness didn't seem so heavy.
So, instead of rejecting the idea, Sasuke stood up and, for the first time in a long while, let out a small smile.
―I hope you run fast, dobe.
Naruto laughed.
―Try to catch me, teme!
And with that, they took off toward the statues, ready to cause chaos.
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―Naruto, this is a bad idea...
―You chicken, I knew you'd back out at the last minute.
―It's not that, I just think painting giant statues in broad daylight isn't exactly the definition of subtlety.
―Nah, I do it all the time. The most fun part is the chase that follows. You'll see, it'll take me 5 minutes, and with your help, I'm sure we won't get caught this time.
Sasuke let out a heavy sigh and prepared to scribble graffiti with the spray paint Naruto had given him, while running through in his head all the things that could go wrong.
―Let's go, idiot, they've seen us.
Sasuke immediately dropped the spray can and dashed after Naruto to escape from several ninjas who were angrily shouting at them.
Curiously, during the chase, his anxiety turned into fun. Wow... now he understood what the blonde kid was talking about.
In the end, they were caught and forced to wash the statues, but as they scrubbed the lines, Sasuke remembered something.
―Well, I did what you said, now you have to tell me what you had in mind.
Naruto seemed puzzled for a moment.
―Oh, right! I've got it. You come live with me for a few days, and I'll go to your place for a bit. That way, you don't completely leave your family's land, and people will never know exactly where you are all the time, and we'll keep each other company.
Sasuke looked at Naruto as if he'd grown a second head. The idea was ridiculous... but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.
―That's stupid ―he said in the end.
Naruto crossed his arms. ―Got a better idea?
Sasuke opened his mouth to respond but closed it right away. No, he didn't have a better idea.
He sighed, looking away. ―Hmpf. Just for a few days.
Naruto smiled smugly. ―I knew I'd convince you.
―Don't get too excited, dobe ―Sasuke muttered―. If your apartment stinks, I'm out.
Naruto laughed. ―Come on, let's go! And lose that grumpy face.
Sasuke clicked his tongue, but didn't protest when Naruto grabbed his arm and dragged him toward his apartment.