Chapter 1
Naruto danced, he danced, and he sang, and he yelled because anything and everything that ever gave the both of them grief or sadness was burning down right in front of their eyes. Sasuke realized that this is the happiest his blonde has ever been on this cursed soil.
Which is what mattered the most right? After all there was not much left in Sasuke’s life to love or care about. And his one and only person is shining brightly, and honestly, the glow of revenge never suited anybody better. Nobody expected the two rogues to come back to the village and cause such chaos, but they should have at least taken some precautions. After all, they should know that their abuse and torture was not the kind that could easily be forgotten.
But Konoha should be proud, it takes a lot of mistakes and cruelty to drive two kids to burn their hometown down.
And for Sasuke all the events that eventually led to such revenge are extremely clear in his mind.
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The Uchiha clan at one time was the pride of Konoha. After all, who had such a visual prowess, such hold and such leaders if not one of the founding clans. But strength also means that they cannot be controlled right? It also means that they might pose a danger. After all, everybody should be controlled. So, the best way to eradicate this problem will be to eradicate the entire clan. Who better than the young prodigy, Itachi Uchiha. Sasuke knows the way elders think by now. His entire life was uprooted by such thinking. Young children, pregnant women, disabled or wounded people; everybody had been killed. And Itachi had been the one who had to carry the burden of such a massacre.
Sasuke was the one who had to deal with the hate simmering inside him. It used to kill him, every morning and every night when he realized that he was alone. His hatred had narrowed his vision. He couldn’t see that there were others around him who were miserable too. But then one day, he witnessed an undeniable proof that there was one other person who might just be more miserable than Sasuke was.
It was a bright day, and it was also quite a contradicting setting for Sasuke’s angry and brazen figure making its way through the streets of the Leaf. "Naruto" Sasuke was screaming, knocking the door down upon arriving and then barging in. Today was the day the blonde was destined to feel the wrath of the Uchiha. Ugh! That dobe wasn't just late for their mission, he never even showed up and then their task was passed on to team 8. Sasuke had really wanted to go, they were going to escort an important feudal lord, isn't that the kind of mission Naruto wanted too. Meeting new people, facing new opponents, getting stronger. Why wasn't he there then?
Sasuke entered the house that looked too small compared to his. So, this is the place where Naruto had spent his entire life, in the confines of these chipped dusty brown walls that didn't seem to hold a glint of happiness or memories. No pictures, no flowers there was nothing. No wonder long missions made that dobe so happy, bunking in a tent, eating together, it was everything Naruto loves. As he looked around a little more Sasuke realised for some reason he always imagined Naruto's house to be bright yellow walls with orange and green furniture but there was barely anything. Though he had little time to overanalyse the walls of a house because he caught a hint of Naruto's orange jumpsuit.
He prepared the speech in his head, but everything went away when he saw Naruto lying unconscious on the floor. No. No. No. No.
"Naruto!" Sasuke screamed as in a swift motion he cradled the blonde's upper half body. He slapped him a couple of times and when the boy in his arms started stirring into consciousness he release a breath he had been holding. "Dobe, hey what happened?" His own voice surprised him, then he saw Naruto's lips slightly tugging upwards.
"You're going soft on me teme" he whispered with half open eyes gazing into Sasuke's onyx orbs.
"Tch, shut it. What happened to you? Don't you have a bed to sleep in" Sasuke said, the words didn't go well with his concerned voice, so Naruto giggled again.
"I guess I haven't eaten in a while" Naruto said, and Sasuke's eyes widened. For how long did he go on starving to end up fainting on his own floor.
"Don't you have cupboards full of ramen" the raven head asked, looking around to see any traces of food to prepare something. He tried to get Naruto to stand supporting his body and resting him on a chair. Sasuke searched the shelves and opened the fridge but there really was nothing except a rotting vegetable and some milk which was way past its expiration.
"Don't bother teme, there is nothing. I guess I shouldn't have bought that manga with the last remaining money I had but you know I heard these kids on the street say that it was very good and I know they would have never lent it to me and I really wanted to read the next issue. I guess now with the third gone, I don't really get the money I used to, it's okay though I have my missions. Wait there was one today, hey Sasuke what time is it-" he looked at Sasuke but saw the raven just staring at him.
"You didn't eat because you didn't get your money this month?" Sasuke tried to sum up.
"Yea" Naruto looked down. Sasuke's anger flared, he was still getting the money, despite being a genin now and having missions. He didn't mention it but gave Naruto water and that day they had dinner together at Sasuke's house. Naruto would look at how big it was, the balcony, the air, it wasn't suffocating. He shoved it off, maybe it was because he was an Uchiha, it was a huge clan after all. Only if Naruto belonged to a renowned clan too, he could have had this.
"Sasuke this is so good, thank you. I would have gone to the market, but the shopkeeper doesn't loan me anything. Well demons don't deserve it, that's what I hear from him every time I try. Wait sorry you don't want to hear this. Anyway, I am sorry we couldn't go to the mission today"
"Dobe, stop it's fine just eat and sleep here if you want. I don’t care what you do as long as it does not interfere with me."
Naruto laughed and muttered his final sentence of the evening "you won't change will you teme?"
But he had stayed that night, and then some other nights during the week. Sasuke would cook and Naruto had gotten this gradual glow on his face. He seemed healthier, the energy was still off the charts, but he did have this new glint in his eyes and Sasuke finds himself hoping that it was because of him and his company.
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It couldn’t go on merrily though, because nothing ever does.
It happened on the one-night Sasuke had prepared onigiri. Hours were spent over the correct seasoning for the rice, and the variety of fillings for these rice balls. He was happy with the outcome, but he couldn’t eat just yet. There was only thing left to do and it was to wait for Naruto to come through the doors and lighten up this entire apartment with his ever-glowing personality.
Sasuke had promised himself to not make this a habit, but it all progressed so naturally that there was nothing the raven could have done to prevent himself from getting attached.
Waiting for Naruto came with the package. The blonde had a problem of lacking attention, he would think about one thing and talk about another. So, it was usual for him to lose track of time. But a little too many minutes passed by now, and Sasuke was struck with the fear of the possibility of past events recurring. Maybe Naruto was unwell and again had passed out all by himself. So, Sasuke did not think, not about the impression his barging into the blonde’s house would make, or about how he might look desperate for the blonde. No, his body just moved, and he jumped from one roof to the other to make it to his friend.
This time he decided to just enter from the window, it would be quicker, and time was of the essence. A sight similar to Sasuke’s worst fear met him, but this was worse. Much worse.
Naruto was so bruised that Sasuke’s own body began hurting. This was not like their fights with enemy opponents, this almost looked like somebody had picked up and thrown a rag doll around. Sasuke did not stay and dwell upon the anger bubbling in his chest and instead focused on patching the blonde up. He picked up the box he had brought, used the creams and ointments, anything that he thought would help. Naruto did always heal quickly, so this time should be no different right? So why wasn’t he waking up? And why was Sasuke feeling this dread which is the same as when he witnessed his brother about to kill his parents?
Is this the fear of losing your person?
Sasuke put his entire focus on the rise and lowering of Naruto’s bandaged chest and had the most bizarre thought. At this point, Sasuke would do absolutely anything to make sure that this heart, Naruto’s heart, keeps beating.
And not in words, but Sasuke was able to convey these feelings through his actions. He stopped screaming at Naruto, started walking home after training with him. The blonde liked it, he had somebody now who was by his side. He was able to talk the entire walk home and ignore all the hateful gazes thrown at him.
They would protect each other on missions, and they were growing. They weren’t only growing older and smarter, but also more resentful. Why were they putting their lives on the line serving the same village that was treating them horribly.
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It had been about two years, and they were chunin now, but nothing seemed to change.
Until the day Sasuke decided to leave. There was a soft tap on the window adjacent to Naruto’s window. The blonde was a heavy sleeper, but he felt a sense of urgency around him as the taps grew more insistent. Naruto threw the blanket from his face and groggily sat up, ready to snap at whatever the source of this disturbance was. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Sasuke Uchiha standing there, his dark eyes intense and filled with an emotion Naruto couldn’t quite place.
When Sasuke came into his full view, after jumping in through the window, is when the blonde registered what he was seeing. Sasuke was dressed, like he would be for a mission and was carrying a bag which seemed full of… supplies? “I’m leaving the village, Naruto,” Sasuke finally said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “I’m going to find Itachi.”
Naruto’s eyes widened in shock. “What? Sasuke, you can’t just—”
So, another person was leaving, the sense of rejection and abandonment was the only thing Naruto could register in that moment. In these past years he has only been able to survive his curse of loneliness because of Sasuke. Nobody else but Sasuke.
Naruto did not even know that there was tear going down his cheek till he felt Sasuke’s finger slowly trace the tear and wipe it away. Sasuke had come way to close now, close enough that Naruto was staring at the features of the Uchiha’s face to register them to his memory forever.
But then, Sasuke said ‘come with me, I can’t do this alone.’
Naruto's heart pounded in his chest. Was the great Sasuke Uchiha confessing to there being something he could not do by himself? But he liked this, he liked being wanted… needed.
Then something weird happened, the voice that was always growling like a beast in the back of Naruto’s mind became clearer than ever and said only one word. The first word Naruto had ever heard from that voice, ‘Go.’
Sasuke reached out and grabbed Naruto's hand, holding it tightly. Naruto felt a lump form in his throat. He looked down at the joined hands and then back at Sasuke's face which was vulnerable in a way that Naruto had never seen before. 'Please Naruto,' Sasuke said, with his voice breaking slightly. 'I need to leave this village but the only thing stopping me is that I cannot leave you, I cannot bring myself to lose you this way. I know you have dreams of being Hokage, I know I am asking you to give up a lot, but I need you. '
The thought of being apart seemed too painful for even Naruto to bear.
And being Hokage? What even was that dream anymore? Why would he want to be the protect and be the leader of a village that never wished good for him. Never gave him anything to be grateful for. This dream was too easy to give up, especially if it was for Sasuke. So, he decided he would leave, he would live his life without the poisonous glare of Konoha making his skin crawl.
So, they did, they walked and traveled everywhere they could. They trained and met some mentors on the way. Naruto met Tsunade and Jiraiya, who recognized his appearance and asked him as to why he was not in the village. The answer they got was direct, Naruto no longer felt ashamed of talking about the abuse he dealt with in the village.
The couple did not just feel bad, they felt guilty. To think that their teacher would treat the boy this way, that the village could be this cruel. So they sat and told Naruto about his parents, about his lineage. They gave him all the information he craved for and somehow it felt like a small portion of the hole in Naruto’s heart was being filled.
Jiraiya had reached into his pocket which had a small notebook. It looked worn out and without any function which made Naruto think that the main purpose behind carrying this book around must be sentimental. He was almost proven right when the sanin took a picture out the book and handed it to Naruto. In it was a man with hair just like Naruto’s and he was smiling at a woman with fiery red hair who was pregnant. They were both sitting on a sofa, laughing as though the picture caught them in the middle of an intimate moment.
“The man in the picture is Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage,” Tsunade explained. “And the woman is Kushina Uzumaki, your mother.”
Naruto’s eyes widened as he stared at the faces in the photo. ‘The Fourth Hokage... is my dad?’ he whispered, disbelief coloring his voice. ‘And my mom...’
Jiraiya placed a hand on Naruto’s shoulder. ‘Yes, Naruto. Minato and Kushina were your parents. They loved you more than anything in the world. They were good people, better than most I have met. They were fierce and determined and wanted to make the world a better place.’
Naruto cried a lot that night, and Sasuke held him through it all. Knowing that he was like his mom that they spoke similarly despite never meeting each other made the blonde so unbelievably happy. Knowing that this dad was a good man who was loyal and did everything to protect his wife, students and child made him feel proud. And Naruto never realized just how much he wanted to know all this till this moment.
Naruto had thanked both sanin for telling him and Tsunade despite her strong demenaour seemed to break down a little bit as she spoke, ‘I wish we knew you better, but in those eyes of yours I see the strength of your father and the spirit of your mother. You are the best of both of them, I wish they could have seen you grow up.’
I wish so too, Naruto thought.
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The flame of anger and hatred had truly sparked within Naruto after learning of his parent’s demise. But the last straw was when their journey finally led them to Itachi Uchiha. The man was everything Naruto had expected, and in some ways more. Sasuke in his prime fighting state still seemed a little out of his elder brother’s reach. And if things had been better, this would have been a good thing. After all, elder brothers are always supposed to be two steps ahead of their otouto right?
But things were not good since the day Sasuke had been trapped in a genjutsu showing the brutal murder of his parents.
Both brothers fought. Sasuke's eyes had burned with frustration, his Sharingan spinning and blazing as he unleashed his chidori. His movements were precise, fueled by anger and the need to prove his strength, but there was a hesitant edge to his attacks. He wasn’t aiming to kill, Naruto and Kurama carefully analysed the nature of the chakras in the battle, and it was nothing vicious. But each blow was a manifestation of his anguish and unresolved conflict.
Itachi's eyes were stoic and weary, and he deflected Sasuke's attacks with his own techniques and prowess. The clash of their jutsu lit up the valley, casting eerie, flickering shadows that danced around them. Itachi’s Amaterasu flames, dark and consuming, were met with Sasuke’s deftly wielded lightning, creating a tempest of raw power and emotion. Yet, despite the ferocity of their combat, the attacks never seemed to reach their full potential because there was still a familiarity and still love underneath all the pent-up anger.
Finally, as exhaustion began to take its toll, their attacks grew slower, more deliberate.
The final attack was Sasuke’s who was about to drive his charged-up fist right into his brother’s heart, but his motion stopped a mere fraction away as he saw the blood drip from Itachi’s mouth. His blood, their blood. They were still a family, right?
Sasuke’s voice broke as he whispered ‘aniki’ and he sensed the other man tense up at the word. He hadn’t heard Sasuke call him aniki ever since that day. That last day.
‘Why did you kill them? I’ll accept any answer but please please free me from the torment of thinking that the man I used to look up to… that my brother was so cruel that he kil- killed our parents without flinching for a second.’
And the desperation in his voice undid Itachi, because all he had ever done, everything he had done was to protect Sasuke who seemed pretty miserable right now. ‘There’s no going back otouto, once you know, you will never be able to look at the world like you do now.’
‘I don’t care aniki, I care about you, I cared about our family. All of that is gone and I need to know why. I need the answers that I have been desperately searching for, for years.’
And then Itachi Uchiha had unraveled the tragedy and Naruto was there to hold Sasuke through it all. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke, gently keeping him steady and his mind faced a storm of emotions. Itachi himself shed a tear but wiped it before his brother saw, but the blonde had noticed.
Sasuke's breathing was ragged, his eyes red and puffy, a stark contrast to the anger and defiance they had once held. The fury that had driven him was now tempered with raw, heartbreaking confusion.
Sasuke, overwhelmed by his grief, buried his face in Naruto’s shoulder. His cries were muffled but filled with the weight of years of anger, sadness, and betrayal. Naruto held him tightly, his own eyes glistening with tears he fought to hold back. The sight of Sasuke’s suffering was almost unbearable, but he remained steadfast, offering the comfort and support his friend so desperately needed.
“Sasuke… I never wanted this. I never wanted to see you like this,” Itachi said, his words trembling. He knelt beside his brother; a careful distance maintained out of respect for the fragile moment of vulnerability. “I killed our clan... not out of hatred, but out of a twisted sense of duty. I did not want war, but what I was forced to do was akin to what I feared most.’
Itachi decided to stay with them longer, even though his physical state was not as good as it used to be. With Kurama’s healing they thought that Itachi could very well recover. Also, Naruto had a feeling that the brothers had a lot of catch up on.
Naruto and Sasuke, having navigated the storm of their past, now stood apart from Itachi, who had quietly retreated to give them space. The tension that had charged the air earlier had been replaced with a profound sense of exhaustion and vulnerability.
They lit a small fire to keep warm and Naruto was kneeling next to Sasuke letting his chakra flow through to heal the other boy. There was something unspoken hanging between them, it was the first time Naruto was there to witness Sasuke’s vulnerability and the raven does not know how to handle this. His emotional quota had pretty much run out but he still wanted to express his gratitude.
He turned to Naruto and opened his mouth but the blonde interrupted, ‘tsk tsk tsk, I know what you want to say teme.’
Sasuke gulped; he hadn’t realized how close Naruto was. ‘You want to say that yes usuratonkachi, I cried in front of you, but I can still beat your ass. Also, maybe you want to add a small thank you in there but don’t know how to.’
Sasuke smiled and shook his head.
‘Sasuke, you saved me. You gave me food, you gave me a rival but most importantly you gave me love. Kami I know I sound so stupid right now, and it is only because I don’t know what the future holds and well I suck at keeping secrets. So just so you know, I think I love you but whatever, it’s not li- uhmph!’
Sasuke does like to hear the blonde talk, but right now he definitely was finding it hard to keep up with the rambling. Good for him, now he can just kiss Naruto to shut him up.