Chapter Text
“After everything that happened… Why do you still care so much about me?”
The words came out rough, strained from all the blood loss and exhaustion.
“You should know by now”
Side by side, they lay motionless on the stone at the center of the Valley of the End. The war was over. Their final battle was over too. As the moonlight broke through the darkness, it revealed the destruction surrounding them and the mirrored wounds left behind.
“Just answer the question!”
Naruto exhaled, softer this time. “Because we are friends”
“You've already said that.” Sasuke snapped. “But what does it mean to you?”
Naruto continued to look into the moon that was above them, as if looking there for an explanation.
“I'm not sure that I understand it, even if I try to explain it.” he admitted. “It's just, when I see you carrying your burden and pain the way you do… I just… hurt for you.”
His voice tightened slightly.
“We share a connection, Sasuke. When you are happy, I'm happier. When you are suffering, I'm devastated. I just feel it. Even now, with the Six Paths chakra linking us on a new spiritual level, my feelings for you didn't change.”
Silence.
What the hell… is Naruto talking about.
Connected? Shared joy and pain? Intense feelings?
His body felt too heavy to move, chakra depleted, vision unstable. Even if he wasn't on the verge of dying, his body would be as paralyzed as his mind.
Had it always been like this? Was Sasuke really that blind?
All this time, he had never fully understood why Naruto had chased after him and defended him for over four years. For a friendship they had formed as children. Where did Naruto find the strength to keep believing in Sasuke and fighting for his return?
Naruto was starting to feel anxious. Sasuke looked strange. He was still staring at Naruto's face, but it looked like he was deep in thought. His whole body hurt. He couldn't bear to explain the importance of their friendship one more time, but, realizing that this could be their last moment together, he gathered his remaining strength to give it one final try.
“Sasuke… If you still don't belie–”
“Naruto.” Interrupted Sasuke. “I understand now.”
Naruto froze. “You… do?”
Sasuke slowly turned his face away.
“… I finally understand you.”
Naruto couldn't believe it. Was this it? Had his words finally reached Sasuke in the way he had intended all those years ago? He would gladly sacrifice his other arm if it meant he had succeeded in achieving his long-term objective of proving to Sasuke that he was his friend. And that he deserved to have a friend. It didn't sink in until he saw a single tear run down his friend's cheek. Naruto felt like he had to touch that precious tear to make sure it was real, but he heard a quiet voice.
“I lost. I accept you, Naruto.”
So that’s it.
The relief spread from his chest to his whole body, and the feeling of incompleteness that had started four years ago shattered in an instant.
The chase… is over.
Naruto let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.
Finally. Sasuke was coming back. He was really coming back.
While Naruto was planning how great it would be to have his “best friend” back home, Sasuke wasn't thinking about the village at all.
How could he have been so blind?
All the times Naruto screamed their friendship to the world, trained to catch up to him and be considered his equal. How he defied all reason and advice to keep following Sasuke, convinced that one day they would be together again. It was clear now that Naruto…
Naruto has been in love with him his whole life!
How embarrassing to not have noticed before. He should have listened more carefully to his many, now he realized, confessions. He should have seen the look in his eyes when he said that Sasuke was his closest person.
Sasuke had to move his face away from Naruto's expectant gaze; otherwise, the blond would see how embarrassed he was by his confession. As he moved his face away, the pain was so excruciating that a tear fell. It couldn't have been more embarrassing for Sasuke!
His mind tried to fill in all the blanks he had missed over the years. He wasn’t even sure he could be the kind of partner Naruto deserved yet. The truth was, he barely understood his own feelings for him.
For the longest time, Sasuke had denied himself the possibility of wanting anything beyond revenge. Whether it was killing Itachi, avenging his clan, destroying Konoha, killing Danzo, or becoming Hokage, every goal he pursued demanded absolute focus. There had never been room in his life for feelings other than hatred. Love had never been an option.
But things were different now.
“I lost. I accept you, Naruto.”
He could try to accept Naruto's feelings.
“Naruto, Sasuke!” They heard in the distance.
* * *
After several days in intensive care under Sakura’s watchful eye, Naruto and Sasuke were finally released back into the world. While the two of them recovered in the hospital as best they could, a certain newly appointed Hokage had been stressing over their future.
“Mah~ Sasuke, you should at least smile a little.” Kakashi said lightly. “I’m telling you you’ve been pardoned for your crimes against Konoha. We’re still negotiating with the other villages, so getting them to stop wanting you dead may take a bit longer.” He leaned back in his chair.
“For now, staying in Konoha would probably be the smartest option. Though...” His eyes curved slightly. “I doubt that would be a problem for you.”
“Hmph.”
Sasuke’s expression didn’t change.
If he wanted to leave Konoha again, he wouldn’t be standing in the Hokage’s office listening to this in the first place. But there was no reason to explain that to his former teacher.
Kakashi sighed. Even with half his face covered, the exasperation was obvious. His gaze drifted toward the mountain of paperwork covering his desk. Paperwork that was not getting done because his student was being stubborn.
Had anything really changed?
“I want you to understand the situation we’re in, Sasuke,” Kakashi said, his tone losing some of its earlier lightness. “Your pardon didn’t happen overnight. A lot of people opposed it. I did what I could with the council, but honestly?” Kakashi leaned back in his chair. “Things only started changing once Naruto spoke in your favor.”
That caught Sasuke’s attention.
“He’s a war hero now, people listen to him.” Kakashi continued. “You should probably build a shrine for that boy someday. He practically declared that becoming Hokage wouldn’t mean anything if you weren’t there beside him.”
Tch.
Sasuke had expected Naruto to interfere somehow, but hearing it said out loud made something move weirdly in his chest. How could Naruto really say things like that in front of the entire council without embarrassment? Idiot.
Kakashi let out a quiet sigh.
“Look, none of us would’ve fought this hard for you if we didn’t believe in you.” His gaze shifted toward the window behind Sasuke. “So stay out of trouble for a while. Let people calm down.”
“Naruto already knows what he wants to do with the village.” Kakashi tapped a finger lazily against a pile of paperwork, eager to be able to start his real job. “I’m mostly just keeping the Hokage seat warm for him at this point.” His eye returned to Sasuke. “But what about you?”
Sasuke didn’t answer immediately.
The village itself still meant very little to him beyond old ghosts and ruined grudges. Returning as a shinobi seemed unlikely too. No team would willingly take him now besides his own.
The office door slammed open.
“Kakashi-sensei! I mean-Lord Hokage! I mean, Lord Hokage-sensei…? Argh, whatever! Kakashi!”
Naruto burst into the office mid-rant. “These books you gave me about Konoha’s history don’t make any sense– Oh, hi Sasuke! But what do you mean people didn’t even have proper land back then? How were they supposed to live like-”
“Na-ru-to,” Kakashi said, his fox-like smile widening slightly. It wasn’t a friendly one.
Sasuke could see Naruto deflate at Kakashi’s scolding tone. He found it strangely endearing that the idiot was still so susceptible to his teacher’s reprimands.
“We were in the middle of a conversation,” Kakashi said, glancing briefly at Sasuke. “And while I appreciate your enthusiasm for your future role as Hokage, you can’t just burst in here every time you get stuck in a textbook.”
Naruto scratched his head, suddenly less confident. “But Sakura is busy with Tsunade at the hospital! I can’t bother them right now.”
Kakashi tilted his head slightly. “And you can bother me?”
“At least you don’t punch me when I ask questions!” Ah.
Kakashi looked at both men in front of him. Naruto was already pestering Sasuke about a particular chapter of the book he didn’t understand. When had they started standing so close together?
Sasuke, on the other hand, had no issue with Naruto’s interruption. He needed time to think through his next steps and was not yet ready to give Kakashi an answer. When he glanced at Kakashi, he noticed a certain shine in his eye.
“Well, I think I found your solution, Naruto. Luckily for you, we have the top Academy graduate right here with nothing to do. What better teacher could you ask for?”
Naruto’s confused expression was priceless, quickly transforming into a bright, eager smile directed at Sasuke.
“Sasuke!! Would you? I mean-help me! I need to learn this as fast as possible so I can get to the village’s super Hokage secrets! Pleasee…” he whined, puppy eyes fully deployed.
Oh-oh. Alarms went off in Sasuke’s mind. Was Naruto really asking him directly, using those ridiculous blue eyes, for help?
No time to properly react, he turned and started walking toward the door, but not before Kakashi noticed the faint red tint spreading across Sasuke’s ears beneath his dark hair.
When Sasuke was about to disappear from the room, he stopped and turned back.
“I’m going to check the new apartment now. Aren’t you coming?”
That earned a bright, toothy grin from Naruto.
“Teme! I’m coming!”
He sped through the door, leaving Kakashi staring after them in silence.
Was he really a decent teacher that his students have finally agreed to help each other out?
“Well… that’s settled then…”
* * *
The pair walked side by side through the village.
Luckily for Sasuke, the streets leading to his new apartment were mostly empty at this hour. That meant fewer villagers staring at Naruto like he was some kind of living god, and fewer suspicious looks directed at Sasuke himself.
As they walked, Sasuke quietly observed the village around him. Konoha had changed more than he expected. Some streets were unfamiliar now, lined with taller buildings. Entire sections of the village looked newer, almost foreign to him.
Still, the sunlight falling across the streets felt exactly the same.
Meanwhile, Naruto kept rambling beside him.
“Kakashi-sensei already gave me homework, right after being out of the hospital,” he complained. “Can you believe that? I thought becoming Hokage meant I was finally done with written exams.”
Sasuke listened patiently to the rant until they stopped in front of an apartment building.
“Teme!” Naruto exclaimed suddenly. “This house is so close to mine!”
Sasuke glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Yes, that would make moving into their shared apartment much easier. For the first time that day, he felt genuinely grateful toward Kakashi.
The apartment was on the second floor, room thirteen. A fitting number, considering his luck. The building itself didn’t look particularly old, but it had some sort of uneven appearance.
“Ah, this whole area was rebuilt after Pain’s attack,” Naruto explained as they approached the building. “The entire west side of the village got flattened.” That meant the Uchiha compound was gone too.
“You should’ve seen it, Sasuke!” Naruto continued excitedly. “Man, I wish you’d been there when I fought Pain!”
Sasuke paused briefly and glanced at him with his remaining eye.
“As a member of the Akatsuki?” he asked flatly.
Naruto froze. “Eeeeh… right.” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Anyway! Let’s go inside.”
Not too small, but not particularly spacious either. The layout was simple enough that Sasuke suspected every apartment in the building looked exactly the same: a narrow entrance hall leading into a combined living and dining area, a decent kitchen, a bathroom near the back, and two separate rooms, one larger bedroom and another small enough to become either an office or a second bedroom.
Naruto immediately sprinted through the apartment like a cat inspecting unfamiliar territory.
Meanwhile, Sasuke remained near the living room, eyeing the suspicious-looking sofa and the tiny table shoved against the wall.
“A little small for two people,” he muttered.
Naruto turned immediately. “Huh?”
“…Never mind.”
“This is great, Sasuke! This place is way bigger than my old apartment!” Naruto said while wandering through the rooms. “You could turn this closet into a weapon storage room, and this kitchen has enough space for at least three weeks’ worth of ramen cups! Then over here-”
Sasuke watched quietly as Naruto moved through the apartment like he already belonged there. Perhaps discussing furniture and decoration was important too. Sasuke wouldn’t know.
His gaze drifted across the apartment again. The sofa looked large enough for two people, though the table was too small. They would probably need a proper desk eventually if Naruto intended to study there regularly.
Meanwhile, old habits took over automatically. The front door was flimsy. Reinforcing it would have to come first. Two windows faced the street, making them possible escape routes, or entry points. The bedroom window overlooked the building’s inner courtyard instead. When Sasuke glanced outside, he noticed someone had started growing a small garden in one corner of the otherwise empty space.
Behind him, cabinet doors kept slamming open and shut. Naruto was already checking the kitchen for supplies.
“We’re gonna have to go shopping later, Teme,” Naruto announced while digging through the cabinets. “They left some dishes and stuff, but there’s no food here at all. No rice, no salt, nothing! You can’t keep a fridge this empty.”
Sasuke returned to the living room just as Naruto straightened up and placed his hands on his hips.
“Maybe we should buy you some clothes too,” Naruto continued. “I’m guessing you didn’t exactly bring luggage with you."
For a brief moment, Sasuke wondered whether he should move closer.
Then Naruto smiled.
“Well, we’ve got time, right? No need to rush anything.”
Sasuke stilled, how could Naruto always say the right thing?
Naruto grinned at him, warm and easy
and said,
“Welcome home, Sasuke.”