uchiha sasuke at the mental illness store, likely place for him to be
Sasuke turned and left the office, Naruto's idiot spluttering turning into familiar white noise. He ignored Sakura's attempts at conversation, firmly shutting her down as he marched down the stairs.
His irritation flared up when she kept on following him.
"Stop following me,"
Deep breaths, he reminded himself. Deep breaths, no yelling. Not in front of the Hokage's office, at least. He was the last Uchiha here, not some genin stuck on a team with the infamous Hatake.
"Sasuke, Shizune-san told me to make sure you go back to the hospital, remember?"
Sakura didn't blink at his harsh behavior, not since they were kids and not now. It was grating, as much as it calmed him down.
Her patient gaze bore holes into his back as they walked in silence. Truth is, he didn't remember. He stopped hearing much of anything after finding out who and what Naruto was.
Nine tails? The Fourth? It didn't make any sense. There was no way that dead-last had something insanely powerful as that monster sealed inside him, let alone be the son of a Hokage.
But - it clicked into place. Seamlessy, almost. Uzumaki Naruto, class clown, dead last, Jinchuriki.
There was always something odd about Naruto's chakra. It was the first thing Sasuke noticed after unlocking his Sharingan. He almost thought Naruto must've been an Inazuka bastard with the way his chakra rolled around wildly.
He would've even gone as far as to ask Kiba about it, but Naruto's chakra didn't stay that way. It changed.
Sasuke knew he wasn't some expert on chakra, but at the very least he knew it doesn't change based on the weather.
He tried to put two and two together when they got back from Wave, alone in his room. Naruto's chakra only changed that one time in Wave though, and as much as Sasuke thought about it, he couldn't figure it out.
He almost dismissed it entirely, until it happened again. During the Chuunin Exams.
Naruto's chakra rolled the same way that Kazekage brat's did, Sasuke realized with a jolt.
That means the red haired weirdo from Suna was like Naruto - a jinchuriki.
Ha! Two losers with wild beasts sealed in them, both sons of Kages. The joke writes itself.
But Sasuke couldn't help but feel relieved. It makes sense this way; no way loser Naruto could surpass him, not without a power up of some sorts. Now, it all made sense.
Naruto didn't win that fight in the hospital, and he sure as hell wasn't stronger than Sasuke.
No chained beast or Hokage father would change that.
They were destined to be rivals all along then; him - the last Uchiha. Naruto; son of Hokage who's aiming for succession.
It's always us against them, Sasuke heard those words whispered to Itachi by their father once, in the silent halls of their house.
It's me against them, father.
Sasuke will surpass Naruto, he will be the strongest.
Then he will kill Itachi. Then he'll know peace.
Sasuke breathed harshly, chest heaving as his vision grew narrower. He could see his hands and legs, but they felt far away, as if tethered miles away. His ears were ringing, lips numb and cold, but all he could do was put one leg in front of the other until he reached the hospital -
"-suke? Sasuke? Hellooo? Anybody home?"
Sasuke took in a deep breath, blinking against the harsh summer sun. His hands were clammy, and his legs ached like he ran a marathon.
"Here!"
Sasuke blinked at Sakura, who was shoving an onigiri into his hands. He looked around, confused.
This wasn't the hospital, they were at the marketplace. It was loud, vendors yelling out deals, kids running around their parents.
It should be annoying, but it eased the tension in his chest.
Sasuke threw a questioning glance at Sakura.
"The hospital is gonna be super stuffy, and I kinda kidnapped you before breakfast," Sakura giggled sheepishly, "so let's eat before we go back! Hospital food is really bland."
"Shake for you, umeboshi for me!"
Sakura took a big bite from her onigiri, happily munching. Sasuke sighed and did the same, suddenly aware of his empty stomach.
"You spaced out when we walked out of the Hokage Tower, so I thought a little walk would be nice!"
Sasuke tensed up, his grip on the onigiri tightening as the seaweed crunched under his fingers.
"Just for a while! Eleven minutes! I kept track," Sakura held up her wristwatch, grinning.
This is why he tolerated Sakura a bit more than the rest, there was no fanfare, no unnecessary talk between them. Or rather, Sasuke didn't have to unnecessarily talk.
Sakura always got what he meant, and she seemed content to fill the silence on her own.
It should annoy him, the way the kids of the marketplace won't stop screaming, the sun beating at his back, and the uncomfortable bench sticking to his sweaty arms.
But Sakura's chatter about her mom's experience with hospital food the time she broke her arm washed over him like a blanket, and the shared tray of onigiri between them tasted like the best onigiri Sasuke had eaten in years.