Work Text:
Naruto Namikaze could confidently say he was a good guy.
His parents raised him well, after all. He was outgoing and friendly, making friends wherever he went. He cared about his community, his village, and would gladly lose an arm for the greater good if he had to.
Being the Fourth Hokage’s son, it’s not like he had much choice in the matter anyway. He couldn’t afford to be an asshole or a prankster, but even then, Naruto was just good. He genuinely wanted to see people happy, wanted to see them smile. Naruto would help the elderly carry their groceries, greet every person who walked past him, and play with his little brother and his friends for hours on end when most guys his age would do just about anything to avoid being around children.
Sure, maybe you could still say he was a bit stubborn, overly loud and unpredictable at times. At the end of the day, he was still Kushina’s son.
But regardless, the point he was trying to make still remained. Naruto was a good person, loved by the village. Truly a man with no enemies.
Besides Ino Yamanaka, that is.
Okay, he was exaggerating. They weren’t enemies. In fact, you could probably say they were acquaintances. Being the same age, they had attended the Academy together, but never really ran in the same circles. Naruto mostly knew Ino as Sakura’s best friend, although as they’d gotten older, those two seemed to cross the line between best friends and rivals on a weekly basis.
Being on the same team as Sakura after graduation hadn’t really changed that much either. Naruto just never grew particularly close to Ino. Not because he disliked her, they just weren’t friends. And Naruto already had enough friends anyway — Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata, Neji, Sasuke.
Especially Sasuke.
Naruto and Sasuke have been best friends pretty much since birth, given that their mothers were so close they had literally made them share a crib. There wasn’t a single soul alive who knew Naruto better, and the same could be said about Sasuke. Naruto knew him inside and out.
Although Naruto had to admit that, much like Sakura and Ino, they crossed the line between best friends and rivals far too often. Best grades, most missions completed, who would climb through the ranks faster. Truth be told, their constant competition was probably a huge reason why, at only eighteen, they were already on their way to becoming some of Konoha’s strongest shinobi. They had always pushed each other like that. Always challenged each other to be better, stronger.
Anyway, the point was that Naruto and Sasuke had always been a unit. Inseparable. Two halves of the same whole.
Or at least that was the case before Ino.
To say Naruto was shocked when Sasuke told him he was dating the Yamanaka heiress would be an understatement. Because seriously, what the fuck?
Naruto had still been wrapping his head around the fact the two of them were friends. Apparently they had been friends for over a year now, ever since they’d worked a mission together. That revelation alone had caught him off guard. Not because Sasuke wasn’t allowed to have other friends, obviously. He was. Probably.
It was just weird.
Naruto had always thought it was kind of a weird friendship in the first place. Sasuke and Ino were about as different as two people could get. Then again, Naruto had plenty of friends who were completely different from him, so who was he to judge?
Still. Being friends was one thing, dating was another.
While Naruto was no stranger to crushes and being interested in girls, Sasuke had never really seemed like the relationship type. He’d never hinted at liking anyone. Never talked about girls. Never mentioned having a crush.
Honestly, if someone had asked Naruto a month ago who Sasuke was most likely to date, his answer would’ve been nobody. His second would’ve been training.
So learning that Sasuke had apparently skipped several steps and gone straight to dating Ino had been a bit of a shock.
Okay, a huge shock.
But every time Naruto tried asking questions, Sasuke would immediately blush and start looking vaguely uncomfortable. After the third failed attempt at getting information out of the Uchiha, Naruto decided not to push.
That had been over a month ago, and ever since then, Naruto had been trying his best to accept that Ino was part of his life now, too.
Gods, she did not make it easy.
Maybe Naruto was imagining things, but he could swear that sometimes Ino was deliberately trying to get under his skin.
The way she’d casually lean against Sasuke whenever Naruto was around. The way she’d hook her arm through his and then glance over her shoulder. The way she’d shamelessly flirt with the Uchiha despite the fact that other people were present and forced to witness it.
It felt deliberate.
Like she was trying to prove a point, trying to rub in his face that Sasuke had someone else now. Someone more important than Naruto.
The thought left a sour taste in his mouth. Not that Naruto cared. Much. He just thought it was annoying, that’s all.
But again, maybe he was imagining things. Maybe Sasuke and Ino were just in their honeymoon phase. People always talked about that, right? When couples became completely insufferable and forgot how to act like normal human beings in public.
That sounded about right.
Today, however, Ino was luckily nowhere to be seen as they hung out with their friends. As they grew older, it was becoming harder and harder to find time to get together with the wider group. People were off on missions, working odd jobs, figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives.
Becoming adults, which was still a crazy thing to think about.
Kiba had just gotten back from a mission, and since a few of them had the afternoon free, Naruto found himself sitting with his friends at a small cafe in the city centre. The place was packed and loud, every table occupied and conversations overlapping one another, but he didn’t mind.
Not when he was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Sasuke.
Shino, Neji and Tenten were crammed around the table as well, listening while Kiba excitedly recounted the details of his latest mission. Or, more accurately, listening while Kiba dramatically embellished every detail of his latest mission.
“And then this giant boar comes charging out of nowhere—“
“It was probably a normal-sized boar,” Shino interrupted.
Kiba pointed at him accusingly. “You weren’t there.”
“You said it was the size of a house.”
“It felt like the size of a house.”
“So far there’s at least three things you could have done differently,” Neji said, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall behind them.
Sasuke hummed in agreement.
“What?” Kiba asked incredulously. “I haven’t even got to the action yet!”
“And the fact that you make it out of every mission alive is still a surprise to me,” Sasuke added, making Neji chuckle.
Kiba made a face and looked at Shino for help. When he got none, he turned to Naruto instead. “Why do we hang out with these assholes?”
“Hey, don’t drag me into it,” Naruto said, holding up his hands. “I deal with Mr Know-it-all enough as is.”
“Mr Know-it-all probably kept you alive the entire time you were a genin, usuratonkachi,” Sasuke deadpanned.
“That’s not really how I remember it—“
“Because you were unconscious for half of it,” Sasuke replied immediately.
Tenten snorted into her drink.
Naruto pointed at him. “See? This is exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Here we go again,” Neji sighed, making Tenten giggle.
“Man, you guys are the worst,” Kiba whined, but then continued, eager to return to his story. “Anyway, as I was saying—“
“Sorry I’m late!”
The familiar voice cut through the cafe, and Naruto felt his eye twitch. Ino barged through the crowded room, weaving between tables as she made her way towards them.
“We had a rush just as I was leaving,” she explained. “I had to stay and help Mum with the arrangements.”
She crossed the room and stopped beside the bench where Naruto and Sasuke were sitting. Then she paused. When Naruto didn’t move, she stared him down.
“Naruto,” she started, a polite smile on her lips that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Are you going to move?”
Naruto smiled back just as tightly. Slowly, he slid down the bench and gave her enough room to sit.
“Thank you,” Ino said, not sounding grateful at all.
She immediately hooked her arm through Sasuke’s and rested her chin on his shoulder.
“I missed you, Sasuke-kun.”
“Hn.”
Sasuke didn’t really say anything else, but there was a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. Naruto hated it.
His mood immediately turned sour, though he tried his best not to show it. Maybe he was being unreasonable. Maybe.
He turned his attention back to Kiba’s story and tried very hard to focus on that instead of the conversation happening approximately two centimetres from his face. It was difficult.
Very difficult.
He wasn’t interest in hearing about the stupid customers at the stupid Yamanaka flower shop. Not at all. (The fact that Yamanaka Flowers was actually the best flower shop in Konoha and happened to be his mother’s favourite was completely irrelevant.)
Eventually, though, Ino dragged him into the conversation anyway, as she often did.
“Your hair is getting so long, Sasuke-kun,” she said, reaching up to brush a strand behind his ear. “Not that I mind it. But I do like it when it’s a little shorter so I can see more of your face.”
Then she glanced at Naruto.
“Don’t you think shorter hair suits him better, Naruto?”
She ran her fingers through Sasuke’s dark locks, pushing some of the hair away from his face. For a brief moment, their eyes met. Then Sasuke quickly looked away, ears turning pink.
Naruto frowned. Sasuke never let Naruto touch his hair. Not that he had ever tried. He wanted to slap Ino’s hand away, but instead, he shrugged.
“I dunno. Never really thought about it.”
Which was technically a lie. He had thought about it. Quite a lot, apparently.
He had seen Sasuke with short spiky hair, longer hair framing his face, and even a buzz cut when they were younger after Naruto had attempted to copy one of Sasuke’s fire jutsu. That had ended terribly. Sasuke was lucky he still had eyebrows.
Regardless, it didn’t seem to matter what hairstyle Sasuke had. Somehow the bastard always looked good.
Which was completely unfair, if you asked Naruto.
Ino hummed, clearly unimpressed by his answer. “I wouldn’t expect you to have any sense of style anyway.“
Naruto bit the inside of his cheek. Again, maybe this was just how Ino talked to everyone. He knew she’d had a reputation for being a bit of a mean girl back at the Academy, but Naruto had never really been on the receiving end of it before.
It was… annoying. Very annoying.
If anyone noticed that Naruto barely said another word for the rest of the afternoon, nobody mentioned it.
[…]
Naruto wasn’t used to free time.
Between training, missions, and looking after his little brother, his days had always been pretty full. He still spent hours training every day, but he’d only recently returned from a mission and knew he wouldn’t be assigned another for at least a little while. Menma was at the Academy now, too, which meant the boy didn’t need nearly as much supervision as he used to.
Naruto was still adjusting to that.
Previously, whenever he found himself with time on his hands, he would usually end up hanging out with Sasuke. It didn’t really matter what they were doing.
Sometimes they trained. Sometimes they sparred. Sometimes they argued over something stupid for three hours straight.
And sometimes Sasuke sat in his room reading while Naruto sprawled across the floor flipping through whatever book he picked off the shelf. Naruto never really minded. He found comfort in just being there.
Now, though, it seemed like Sasuke had less and less free time to spend with him, often already having plans with Ino.
Whatever. Naruto could entertain himself. Sasuke could do whatever he wanted for all Naruto cared.
Which was why Naruto absolutely wasn’t thinking about what Sasuke might be doing right now with his girlfriend as he sat in his father’s office sorting through paperwork.
Definitely not.
“Naruto,” his father’s voice cut through his thoughts.
Naruto looked up to find Minato staring at the piles of paper spread across the desk. His expression was somewhere between confused and concerned.
“You know I really appreciate your help,” Minato began carefully, “but why are you putting development permits together with mission assignments?”
Naruto blinked, then looked down at the pile he’d just sorted. “Oh,” a second glance revealed he’d somehow mixed up most of it. “Sorry.”
He took the papers back and started reorganising them. Minato rested his chin in his hand and watched.
For a while, the only sound in the office was paper shuffling, then Minato spoke.
“Is everything okay?”
Naruto didn’t look up. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Well,” Minato said mildly, “you’re now putting mission reports together with budget paperwork.”
Naruto froze. He looked down, realising his father was right. Again. With a groan, he dropped the stack onto the desk.
“Why am I doing your dumb work for you anyway?” he complained. “Sort your own paperwork, Hokage-sama. Or at least hire someone and pay them to do it.”
Minato leaned back in his chair with a dramatic sigh. “You used to enjoy spending time with me, Naruto.”
“That was before I realised it was child labour.”
Minato nodded thoughtfully.
“Maybe Menma is old enough to help.”
Naruto threw a small stack of paper at him. Minato caught them with ease, then had the audacity to laugh.
“I’m just joking.”
“You better be.”
“Leave the rest to me,” Minato said, setting the papers aside. “I’m sure you have better things to do. Shouldn’t you be training?”
“I trained all morning,” he crossed his arms.
Minato hummed.
“Hanging out with your friends, then?” Naruto shrugged, and Minato added: “We haven’t seen Sasuke much recently.”
“Yeah, well, he’s been busy,” he responded bitterly before he could stop himself.
Minato’s eyebrows rose slightly. “I see.”
Naruto suddenly found the grain of the wooden desk very interesting. His father studied him for a moment, clearly piecing something together, but thankfully decided not to push.
Instead, he smiled.
“Why don’t you do me a favour, then?”
Naruto narrowed his eyes. “What do you want, old man?”
“I need someone to stop by the flower shop and pick up an order for your mother.”
Naruto stared. Of course. Of course it had to be the flower shop.
“The flower shop?” He repeated weakly.
“It seems I never manage to make it there before they close,” Minato continued, entirely unsympathetic to Naruto’s suffering. “The flowers at home are looking a bit sad.”
His expression softened.
“You know how happy your mother gets when we bring her flowers.”
Unfortunately, he did know. Kushina always lit up whenever one of them came home carrying fresh flowers.
Naruto had once watched his father arrive with a large bouquet after a long diplomatic trip to the Land of Lightning and his mother had nearly tacked him through the front door.
It was disgusting. And annoyingly effective.
Naruto sighed. He wasn’t about to let his mother suffer because of his completely reasonable dislike of Ino Yamanaka.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “But get the flowers yourself next time.”
“Best son ever.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Minato’s grin only widened. Naruto waved him off dismissively as he stood from his chair.
Who knew? Maybe Ino wasn’t even working today. With some luck, she was probably halfway across the village.
Naruto could only hope.
[…]
Well, Naruto had never been particularly lucky.
The moment he pushed open the flower shop door, the overhead bell chiming cheerfully above him, he was greeted by the sight of Ino leaning over the counter, her cheek resting on her palm.
“Na-ru-to,” she sang. “How nice of the Hokage’s son to stop by for a visit.”
“Ino-chan,” Naruto replied with a wide smile. It was entirely unconvincing. “What a surprise to see you here.”
“At my parents’ flower shop?” Ino raised an eyebrow, then paused. “I suppose you’re right. I haven’t been working many shifts recently.”
Naruto regretted opening his mouth.
“You know,” she continued casually, “between missions and spending time with Sasuke-kun, I’ve been pretty busy. My hands are full as is.”
There it was, the smug smile. Naruto refused to take the bait.
“How can I help you today?” She asked sweetly. “Here to pick up your father’s order?”
“Yep,” he shoved his hands into his pockets. “And I’m kind of in a rush, if you don’t mind.”
Ino narrowed her eyes, then smiled.
“Of course,” she said. “It won’t be long.”
Naruto didn’t trust that smile for a second.
Still, she slipped off the stool behind the counter and disappeared through the door leading to the back room. Naruto waited. And waited. And waited.
After a few minutes, he started wandering around the shop. Rows of flowers lined the walls in buckets and displays. Bright colours filled every corner of the room, mixed with the earthy scent of plants and freshly cut stems.
Naruto liked flowers. He’d never really thought about it before, but he did. Flowers were nice, and they made people happy. They were a way to say things when you didn’t know how to put them into words. Congratulations, I’m sorry, Thank you. I love you.
Naruto frowned. That last one was weirdly embarrassing to think about. He moved on.
Several customers came and went while he wandered through the shop. One of the other employees helped them while Ino remained suspiciously absent. Naruto glanced at the clock. She had been gone for a while, definitely making him wait on purpose.
Eventually, the door to the back room swung open and Ino emerged carrying two bouquets. Naruto headed back towards the counter, a frown forming on his face.
“For Kushina-san,” Ino said, placing an elaborate arrangement of sunflowers, chrysanthemums and carnations on the counter. It was admittedly beautiful. Then her smile turned mischievous. “And this one is for you.”
Naruto blinked as she handed over the second bouquet, just as big as the first one. Bright orange lilies were arranged amongst small yellow buds he didn’t recognise.
The bouquet was surprisingly pretty. Not that he was going to tell her that.
“For me?”
His father definitely hadn’t ordered him flowers.
“Yeah,” something about Ino’s tone made Naruto pause. It wasn’t suspicious exactly, but it was… something. “From me. On the house. Orange is your favourite colour, isn’t it?”
Naruto looked down at the flowers, then back at Ino. Then back at the flowers.
“Yeah, but…” he frowned. Why was she suddenly being nice?
Regardless, his parents had raised him better than to be rude when someone gave him a gift.
“Uh, thanks,” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I appreciate it.”
For some reason, Ino’s smile widened. “Anytime, Naruto.”
That should have worried him. Instead, he paid for Kushina’s flowers and hurried out of the shop.
Outside, he paused. Looking through the window, he could see Ino behind the counter. She waved. Naruto immediately turned around and kept walking.
Maybe he’d been wrong about her. Maybe this was just how Ino was. Maybe she wasn’t trying to antagonise him or secretly plotting his downfall.
By the time he reached home, the theory somehow made even less sense than it had outside the flower shop.
“I’m home!” he kicked off his shoes near the door and looked around. Menma was at friend’s house and his father was still working. His mother should be somewhere around.
“Welcome home!”
Kushina poked her head out of the kitchen, her long red hair tied back in a ponytail and flour smeared across one cheek. Her face immediately lit up when she spotted the flowers. Naruto couldn’t help smiling back.
“From Dad,” he handed her the sunflower arrangement.
“Oh, they’re beautiful!” Kushina accepted the bouquet with obvious delight, bringing the flowers closer and inhaling their scent. “Your father really doesn’t have to keep doing this.”
“You say that every time,” Naruto pointed out, “and every time you act like it’s the first bouquet he’s ever given you.”
Kushina giggled.
“It’s different every time.”
“How?”
“It just is.”
Naruto rolled his eyes. His parents were ridiculous.
Still smiling, Kushina grabbed a vase from the nearby cabinet and began arranging the flowers. Naruto leaned against the wall separating the kitchen and living room, watching her carefully spread out the arrangement beside last week’s bouquet, which had only just started to wilt.
Then her gaze landed on the second bouquet still tucked under his arm and she froze.
“What are those for?”
“Oh,” for some reason, he suddenly felt guilty. “It was just an extra bouquet they had lying around,” he lied. “Cancelled order or something. It’s orange, so I took it.”
Why he was lying, he had absolutely no idea, but Kushina visibly relaxed.
“Well, that makes more sense.”
Naruto blinked. “What do you mean?”
“The flowers,” she gestured vaguely at the bouquet. “The person who ordered them probably changed their mind about being mean.”
Naruto stared, a chill running down his spine.
“What?”
Kushina looked back at him. “What?”
“What do you mean, what?”
She frowned as though the answer was obvious. Naruto felt deeply concerned.
“Those orange lilies symbolise hatred or disdain.”
Naruto’s eye twitched. “What?”
“And those little yellow flowers are tansies,” Kushina continued. “They’re technically herbs, but they’re often associated with hostility.”
Naruto slowly lowered the bouquet, and Kushina tilted her head.
“Didn’t you know that?”
“No.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Huh,” she looked genuinely surprised. “Well, in a different arrangement they could have other meanings, but together? That’s practically a declaration of war.”
Then she laughed. Naruto did not.
His gaze slowly drifted back to the flowers, then towards the front door. Then back to the flowers.
The woman had given him a hate bouquet. A professionally arranged hate bouquet. One she had spent twenty minutes making in the back room while he waited.
Naruto’s jaw dropped. Well, shit.
War it was, then.
[…]
Naruto considered telling Sasuke that his girlfriend hated his guts.
The problem was explaining how he’d reached that conclusion. He could already picture Sasuke’s face.
She totally hates me, Sasuke.
How do you know?, Sasuke would ask.
Oh, she gave me flowers. Hate flowers. They were actually pretty nice, but apparently they symbolise hostility and disdain.
Sasuke would never let him live that down. So, for the time being, Naruto decided to focus on other things instead of addressing the Ino problem. Like, for example, his little brother.
Naruto loved his little brother.
Although he’d never been lonely as a child, he’d always longed for a sibling. He used to look at Sasuke and Itachi, or Hinata and Hanabi, and feel a little jealous. Not because he thought his parents weren’t enough, but because he wanted that kind of bond.
Someone who would always be there, someone connected to him by blood.
As a kid, he begged his parents for a younger sibling constantly. It was only when he got older that he understood why it hadn’t happened sooner.
Being a jinchuriki meant that pregnancy and childbirth were the most dangerous times in his mother’s life. With her chakra focused on the child growing inside her, the seal weakened. It left her vulnerable.
Not only to anyone who might want the Nine-Tails for themselves, but to the fox itself. His mother’s relationship with the beast sealed inside her had never been easy. Naruto still wouldn’t describe it as easy now.
The Kyuubi — Kurama, as they eventually learned its name was — had hated humans for centuries. Honestly, Naruto thought it had every right to.
People had spent generations sealing it away, using its power, treating it like a weapon whenever it suited them. For a long time, Kurama had hated Kushina too. To the fox, she was just another Uzumaki. Another jailer. It whispered doubts into her ear for years, picking at every insecurity it could find. Naruto remembered hearing stories about those early days.
His mother’s first pregnancy had nearly killed her. For a long time, nobody thought she’d ever risk going through it again.
But Kushina was Kushina. Stubborn. Determined. Far too compassionate for her own good. Brick by brick, year after year, she’d slowly worn down walls Kurama had spent centuries building. She refused to be used as a weapon, and she refused to let Kurama be one either.
Eventually, the hatred faded. Not completely, but enough. Enough that they trusted each other. Enough that Kurama no longer tried to break free every chance it got. Enough that Naruto had once walked into the kitchen and found his mother arguing with the giant fox inside her seal about soup recipes.
It had been deeply unsettling.
By the time his parents finally decided to have another child, Naruto was already eleven and not far from graduating the Academy. But he didn’t care.
The moment Menma was born, he’d been over the moon. He’d even cried the first time he held him. Which nobody was allowed to mention. Ever.
Menma had inherited their mother’s bright red hair instead of the blond shared by Naruto and Minato, but he had the same whisker marks on his cheeks.
The first time Naruto saw them, his heart had nearly exploded. Sure, it would have been nice to have a sibling closer to his age, but Naruto had never really felt lonely. There had always been friends.
Still, there was something special about being Menma’s older brother. Something that made his chest warm every time the kid smiled at him.
The problem was that Menma kept growing. He was seven now. Seven. Recently enrolled at the Academy and already talking about becoming a shinobi. Naruto hated it.
Not because he didn’t believe Menma could do it, because he absolutely could. But because Naruto just wanted him to stay little for a bit longer.
The Academy wasn’t teaching anything dangerous yet. No weapons, no chakra control. Just exercise, teamwork and basic lessons. Naruto liked that. He wanted Menma to enjoy being a kid while he still could.
Whenever possible, Naruto picked him up after class. Partly because Menma loved it, partly because Naruto loved hearing about his day.
“Iruka-sensei made us run ten laps around the school today,” Menma complained as they walked through the village.
Naruto smiled. “So he hasn’t changed his tactics.”
“He said there’d be a reward afterwards!”
“There wasn’t, was there?”
“There was!” Menma thew his hands up dramatically. “The reward was running another ten laps!”
Naruto nearly doubled over laughing.
“That sounds exactly like Iruka-sensei.”
“We thought we were going to learn how to throw shuriken!”
“You’re too young for that, buddy.”
“I’m not!” Menma puffed up. “I’m seven.”
The way he said it made it sound like seven was the oldest age imaginable. Naruto bit back another laugh.
“Right. My mistake.”
“I’m not a little kid anymore.”
“Oh?” Naruto crossed his arms thoughtfully. “Well, if you’re not a little kid anymore, I guess you’re too old for getting dango after school.”
Menma stopped walking, his face scrunching up in concentration. “Hm.”
Naruto waited. The internal debate appeared intense.
“I think maybe I’m still a kid.”
“Thought so,” Naruto grinned.
“Just not a little one.”
“Of course not.”
Satisfied with this compromise, Menma nodded. Naruto reached over and ruffled his hair. “Let’s go.”
See? This was nice.
Naruto didn’t need anyone else. He was perfectly happy spending time with his little brother.
Menma, unfortunately, didn’t seem to be aware of Naruto’s recent efforts to avoid Sasuke. Which was why, the second he spotted a familiar dark-haired shinobi walking down the crowded street, the little traitor lit up like a festival lantern.
“Sasuke-nii!”
Before Naruto could react, Menma tore off down the street, directly towards Sasuke. And the very familiar blonde woman walking beside him.
Sasuke turned at the sound of Menma’s voice, a small smile already pulling at his lips.
“Hi, Menma.”
“You haven’t come over in forever!” The accusation was immediate.
Sasuke reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair.
“I’m sorry, buddy. I’ve been busy.”
Menma pouted. Clearly, this was not an acceptable excuse. Then his attention shifted to Ino, and he hesitated, suddenly looking uncertain.
“Hi,” Ino said with an easy smile. To Naruto’s surprise, she crouched down so they were eye-level. “You must be Menma. I’ve heard a lot about you. My name is Ino.”
The boy turned pink and shuffled a little closer to Sasuke. Traitor.
“It’s okay, Menma,” Sasuke said. “Ino is a friend of your brother and I.”
Naruto almost chocked. Well, he certainly wouldn’t put it that way. Sasuke and Ino might be dating or whatever, but Naruto and Ino barely tolerated each other at this point.
“Naruto,” Ino’s smile shifted towards something suspiciously sweet. “Nice to see you again. Did your mother like the flowers?”
Naruto smiled right back, equally suspiciously. “Oh, she loved them.”
Ino’s expression remained perfectly innocent. “That’s good.”
“She’s a big fan of flowers, you know,” he crossed his arms. “Knows all about their meanings and everything.”
He waited. Surely now she would crack. Surely she’d realise he’d uncovered her secret floral assassination attempt. Instead, Ino’s smile only widened.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from Kushina-san.”
Naruto frowned. The wasn’t the reaction he’d been hoping for.
Beside them, Sasuke glanced between the two of them, confused. As though he’d just walked into the middle of a conversation without context. Which, to be fair, he had.
“Sasuke-nii!” Menma got his attention again. “We’re getting dango! Do you want to come with us?”
Sasuke didn’t even hesitate. “How could I say no to that?”
Menma’s entire face lit up. Before Sasuke could say anything else, the boy grabbed his hand and started dragging him down the street.
Naruto watched the Uchiha allow himself to be kidnapped without resistance. Some things never changed. Shaking his head, Naruto followed them.
Unfortunately, that meant walking beside Ino.
“Sasuke-kun is so good with kids,” Ino sighed dreamily as she watched the pair ahead of them, and Naruto glanced over. “He’ll make a great father one day.”
Naruto froze, that ugly feeling twisting in his chest again.
Surely that wasn’t something they’d be talking about already. They’d only been dating a couple of months. They were eighteen. Eighteen-year-olds weren’t supposed to be discussing children.
Right?
But before he could stop himself, his traitorous brain supplied the image anyway.
Sasuke with children, little dark-haired kids running around the Uchiha compound. Sasuke teaching them how to throw kunai, helping them with homework. Putting them on his shoulders.
Naruto knew exactly what kind of father Sasuke would be —gentle, patient. Unlike Fugaku. Not that Fugaku didn’t love his children, Naruto knew he did. But tenderness wasn’t exactly part of the man’s vocabulary.
Everything with Fugaku was expectations, discipline and responsibility. Strength. Mikoto had balanced that out. She’d raised her sons with warmth and kindness in a world that often lacked both.
And if Naruto was being honest, Sasuke had always taken after his mother more than anyone else. Most people didn’t see it. They only say the arrogance, the indifference, the sharp tongue. Naruto saw the rest.
The way Sasuke always remembered people’s preferences. The way he quietly helped when nobody was looking. The way he never complained about carrying Menma around whenever the kid got tired.
That softer side always came out around his little brother, in the way Sasuke listened to him, played with him. Naruto hated admitting it, but yeah.
Sasuke would probably make a great father someday.
The thought sat uncomfortably in his stomach. Would he have children with Ino? Little Uchiha kids with blond hair and blue eyes? The Uchiha genes were ridiculously strong, so probably not, but still.
The image bothered him.
For some reason, though, the idea of Ino’s child having Sasuke’s eyes bothered him even more.
“He’s just good with Menma,” Naruto said, forcing himself to stop thinking about it. “He cares about him a lot.”
A part of him knew that wasn’t entirely true. Sasuke was generally good with children. But Menma was different — he was special. And Naruto refused to let Ino think otherwise.
Ino shot him a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
“Your bratty little brother is not special, Naruto.”
The anger that shot through him was immediate. This fucking woman.
“You call him bratty again and I swear—“
“Oh yeah?” Ino challenged. “What exactly are you going to do about it?”
They stopped walking. Blue eyes met blue eyes, neither willing to back down. Before either of them could continue, Sasuke and Menma reappeared carrying several sticks of dango.
Sasuke frowned, his gaze moving between Naruto and Ino. “Are you two okay?”
Ino smiled instantly, every trace of hostility vanishing so quickly it would’ve been impressive if Naruto wasn’t the victim.
“Of course, Sasuke-kun,” she looped her arm through his. “Why wouldn’t we be?”
Then she looked directly at Naruto. “Right, Naruto?”
“Of course,” Naruto smiled through gritted teeth.
Menma, blissfully unaware of the near diplomatic incident that had just occurred, shoved a dango stick into his mouth.
“Naruto-nii-chan!”
“What?”
“Sasuke-nii said he’ll teach me how to throw shuriken when I’m old enough because he’s better than you,” he giggled.
“What?!” Naruto whipped around. “Sasuke.”
The Uchiha looked entirely unapologetic.
“Don’t fill my brother’s head with lies.”
“They aren’t lies.”
“They are absolutely lies.”
“I am better than you.”
“Oh yeah?” Naruto pointed at him. “Why don’t we go to the training field right now and find out?”
Sasuke looked thoughtful. “We’ve done that. Many times. I usually win.”
The bastard even looked smug about it.
“I’ve won just as many!”
“I don’t think so.”
Naruto narrowed his eyes, wanting to wipe the smug smile of Sasuke’s face.
Ino cleared her throat. Right. She was still there.
“Although the unnecessary display of male strength is extremely attractive,” she said dryly, “I believe we had plans, Sas?”
Naruto almost flinched at the sound of the nickname. Only he called Sasuke that. Sasuke paused, then blinked. “Right. I forgot.”
The words landed heavily in Naruto’s stomach. Beside him, Menma looked equally disappointed.
Sasuke noticed immediately, and crouched down in front of him.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much lately, Menma,” he said, and the boy looked at the ground. “I’ll come visit soon, okay?”
That got his attention.
“And even though you’re too young for shuriken, there are plenty of other things I can teach you.”
Menma’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“I promise.”
The boy practically vibrated with excitement, and Naruto looked over at Ino. Slowly, he smiled, smugly. Ino crossed her arms.
Finally. Some points on the scoreboard.
[…]
There was a spot off the trail leading up to the Hokage Monument that was hidden behind overgrown bushes and uneven rocks.
It was easy to miss the place where the path split in two, but if you knew where to look and pushed through the foliage, it led to a quiet clearing at the edge of the mountain, far enough from the monument that tourists and civilians never wandered over, but still close enough that the view of Konoha was still breathtaking.
Not many people knew about it. Naruto was pretty sure Shikamaru wished he wasn’t one of them.
Sure enough, he found the Nara stretched out beneath one of the large trees, half hidden by the shade, looking like he was attempting to take a nap.
Shikamaru had always been one of Naruto’s closest friends. Their friendship was easy, comfortable. Drama-free. Shikamaru had never treated him differently because he was the Hokage’s son. He never made a fuss over it, never acted impressed, never cared. Naruto appreciated that.
More importantly, Shikamaru was honest. Painfully honest sometimes. Which is exactly what Naruto needed right now.
While Naruto had grown up practically attached to Sasuke’s hip, Shikamaru had his own version of that with Ino and Choji. If anyone knew Ino well enough to tell Naruto whether she was secretly awful, it would be Shikamaru.
And if she was secretly awful, he’d tell him.
“Shika!” Naruto called as he dropped down beside him. “I’ve been looking for you.”
Shikamaru opened one eye, and looked at Naruto. Then closed it again.
“Well,” he said, “you found me.”
“What are you up to?”
“Trying to enjoy some peace and quiet.”
Naruto hummed thoughtfully. “Mind if I join you?”
“I don’t think it would really matter if I did.”
Naruto grinned and stretched out on the grass beside him. Above them, the clouds drifted lazily through the sky.
“It’s a nice day, isn’t it?”
“Peace and quiet, remember?”
Naruto pressed his lips together. For approximately thirty seconds.
“Shika.”
A sigh.
“Mm.”
“You’re friends with Ino, right?”
Shikamaru groaned. The sound echoed dramatically across the clearing, and Naruto frowned.
“What?”
The Nara cracked one eye open again.
“Is this about Sasuke?”
“No,” Naruto paused. “Not entirely.”
Shikamaru sat up, clearly accepting that his nap was over. “Because if you’re here to ask me questions about their relationship, I don’t know anything.”
“It’s not about Sasuke.”
It was a little bit about Sasuke.
“It’s about Ino.”
Shikamaru looked unconvinced.
“You’ve known her forever,” Naruto continued. “Your parents are friends. You were on the same genin team. You, Choji and Ino have that whole Ino-Shika-Cho thing going on.”
“Then why did you ask if I’m friends with her?”
Naruto blinked. “… I was trying to ease into the conversation.”
“The conversation where you ask me if one of my closest friends is good enough for your best friend?”
Well.
When Shikamaru put it like that, Naruto could understand why he sounded defensive.
“A little, yeah.”
“Troublesome.”
Naruto ignored that.
“Why don’t you ask Sakura?”
Naruto shook his head. "Sakura-chan has been so busy at the hospital lately that I barely see her. Besides, her opinion of Ino changes every other week."
Which was true. One week they were best friends, the next they were threatening each other over something ridiculous. Then they were best friends again.
It was exhausting.
"But you aren't like that," Naruto said. "I trust your judgement."
Shikamaru studied him for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, he asked, ”Did Sakura ever tell you how they became friends?"
Naruto frowned.
"No, actually,” he thought about it. "I just know they knew each other before the Academy."
Shikamaru nodded. "Some kids used to pick on Sakura."
Naruto blinked. That wasn't what he'd expected. "Really?"
"Kids can be pretty cruel," Shikamaru continued. "Especially when they decide someone is different."
Naruto quietly thought that sounded familiar.
"Ino stepped in one day,” the Nara shrugged. "Scared them off."
Naruto chuckled. "That sounds like her."
"Yeah."
A small smile appeared on Shikamaru's face.
"Honestly, she was probably mean to Sakura too."
"That's not helping your argument."
"It's just how Ino shows affection."
That... Unfortunately sounded believable.
"She helped Sakura build confidence," Shikamaru continued. "They became really close after that. Stayed that way until the whole crush-on-Sasuke thing blew up."
Naruto winced. Yeah, that sounded about right.
"I didn't know any of that."
"Most people don’t,” Shikamaru lay back down again. "Honestly, those two are weird."
The way he said it suggested he had many more opinions about Sakura and Ino's friendship. Fortunately for everyone involved, he kept them to himself.
After a moment, he sighed. "Look, Naruto."
Naruto sat up straighter.
This was it. The honest answer. The confirmation he'd been looking for.
"Ino is a good person."
Naruto deflated immediately. Shikamaru continued anyway.
"I know she can come across badly sometimes, but when she cares about someone, she cares deeply."
Naruto listened quietly.
"She'd do anything for the people she loves,” something about the certainty in Shikamaru's voice made it difficult to argue. "I don't know how serious things are between her and Sasuke," he admitted. "But they've been friends for a while now."
Naruto frowned.
"I don't think she'd play with his feelings."
Well. That was annoying. Not because Naruto wanted Shikamaru to say something bad about her. He didn't. Probably.
But if Shikamaru couldn't come up with a single reason to be worried, then Naruto was running out of excuses. The Nara wasn't the kind of person who sugar-coated things.
If he thought Ino was a problem, he'd say so. Naruto trusted him with his life. Which unfortunately meant he had to trust this too, even if he didn't like it.
"Thanks for being honest."
Shikamaru glanced at him.
"You're worried about him."
Naruto shrugged. "He's my best friend,” the answer felt obvious. "I just want him to be happy."
Shikamaru was quiet for a moment.
"Is Sasuke ever happy?"
Naruto snorted.
"Fair point."
That got the smallest hint of a smile from the Nara. Naruto stretched his arms over his head. "Speaking of relationships."
Shikamaru immediately looked suspicious, and Naruto grinned.
"I got a letter from Gaara the other day. They're looking forward to coming to the festival next month."
Shikamaru slowly sat up, and Naruto's grin widened.
"Temari is coming too."
"I don't see why you think I'd care."
The words would have been more convincing if his ears hadn't started turning pink. Naruto pointed immediately. "Ha!"
"Don't."
"You like her."
"I don't."
"You absolutely do."
Shikamaru stared at him. Naruto stared back. The silence lasted all of three seconds.
"You should ask her on a date."
"Get out."
Naruto laughed.
"Come on, she'd say yes."
"Naruto."
"Maybe hold her hand."
"Naruto."
"Maybe even—"
"Get out of here before I trap your shadow and make you walk off the cliff."
Naruto laughed harder. Then Shikamaru said, “And leave me out of your Ino problems."
Naruto froze.
"...My Ino problems?"
"That's what I said."
"I don't have Ino problems."
Shikamaru gave him a look. Neither of them said anything.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.
Naruto decided that was probably his cue to leave.
[…]
Eventually, Naruto realised that going out of his way to avoid Sasuke and Ino meant Ino was winning, and he simply couldn’t have that.
Sasuke was his best friend. He wasn’t about to sacrifice time with one of the most important people in his life just because Ino Yamanaka had decided to make his existence mildly unbearable. That being said, there was nothing stopping him from trying to see Sasuke when Ino wasn’t around.
Which was how Naruto found himself sneaking through Sasuke’s bedroom window after making absolutely sure he couldn’t sense Ino’s chakra signature anywhere nearby.
The window was open as usual. Naruto pulled himself inside and frowned. Sasuke wasn’t sitting at his desk. Weird.
Then something smacked him in the back of the head.
“Ow!” Naruto spun around.
Sasuke was lounging on his bed in the darkest corner of the room, looking completely unbothered as he turned a page in the book resting in his lap.
“That hurt, bastard!”
Sasuke didn’t even look up. “Be more aware of your surroundings, moron.”
“It’s not my fault I can’t see your stupid bed from the window.”
“Having your bed against the window is bad Feng Shui.”
Naruto blinked. “What?”
“And if you used the door like a normal person, it wouldn’t be a problem.”
Naruto pointed accusingly.
“It’s probably bad Feng Shui to hide your bed in the dark corner like some kind of vampire.”
That earned him a snort. “What are you doing here?”
Naruto threw himself onto the mattress.
“Does a man need an excuse to hang out with his best friend?”
“Gross,” Naruto looked up, and Sasuke finally glanced away from his book. “Don’t be a sap.”
“Sorry. I forgot you don’t have feelings.”
“Oh, is that what makes you such a big baby?”
“Forget it,” Naruto sat up dramatically. “I’m going home.”
He made absolutely no attempt to move, and Sasuke didn’t even bother pointing that out. Instead, he turned another page. Naruto propped himself up on one elbow. “What are you reading?”
“Nothing your little brain could comprehend.”
Naruto blew a raspberry. To his satisfaction, Sasuke actually chuckled.
For a while, neither of them spoke. Sasuke continued reading, and Naruto watched the sunlight filtering though the window, painting the room in warm gold as the afternoon slowly drifted towards evening.
It was peaceful. Comfortable. Naruto had always felt at ease around Sasuke, even when they weren’t doing anything. Maybe especially then.
Eventually, Naruto broke the silence.
“So.”
Sasuke hummed.
“You leave for that A-rank mission in a couple of days, right?”
That finally got his attention, and Sasuke looked up properly. “How do you know that?”
Naruto shrugged. “I have my ways.”
His ways being sneaking into the Hokage’s office and reading paperwork he definitely wasn’t supposed to be reading. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious. Fortunately, he didn’t push.
“It’s mostly an intel-gathering mission,” he said. “Nothing complicated. Two senior jonin are leading it.”
“I see.”
“It’ll be fine.”
Naruto hummed, a knot settling uncomfortably in his stomach.
Sometimes he missed being genin. Back when missions almost always meant the two of them working side by side. Back when he didn’t have to wonder where Sasuke was or who he was with.
They’d always worked well together, but they were older now, stronger. Different skill sets meant different assignments. It made sense, but Naruto still didn’t have to like it.
Sasuke studied him for a moment, narrowing his eyes. “Why the long face?”
Naruto looked away. “What long face?”
“The one currently attached to your head.”
“There is no face.”
Sasuke stared, and Naruto stared right back.
“Are you worried about me?” Sasuke asked.
The bastard actually sounded amused. Naruto scoffed.
“I’m worried about your teammates. They’re going to have to deal with your terrible personality for an entire mission.”
Sasuke smirked. “There it is.”
“What?”
“The face.”
Naruto opened his mouth, then closed it again. Before he could come up with a comeback, the bedroom door swung open.
“Sasuke—“ Mikoto stepped inside, then brightened when she spotted Naruto. “Oh, Naruto!”
“Hi, Mikoto-san.”
“It feels like I haven’t seen you in ages!”
Naruto smiled sheepishly. That wasn’t entirely untrue.
“Are you staying for dinner?” She asked. “I can set another plate. I’ve already made extra since Ino-chan is joining us.”
Naruto felt something sink heavily in his stomach.
“Oh,” the word escaped before he could stop it.
Mikoto either didn’t notice or pretended not to.
“Actually,” Naruto said quickly, “I should probably head home.”
“Nonsense!”
“I promised Ma I’d be back.”
That was technically not true.
“Oh, alright,” Mikoto smiled warmly. “Tell Kushina I said hello.”
“I will.”
She turned to her son. “Sasuke, can you come downstairs when you’re ready?”
“I’ll be down in a minute.”
The door clicked shut behind her, and silence settled over the room. Naruto stared at a random spot on the wall.
So. Ino came over for dinner now. The thought shouldn't have bothered him— but it did.
The image of her sitting at the Uchiha table. Laughing with Mikoto, being included in family dinners. It made something twist unpleasantly in his chest.
"Well,” he stood up. "I should get going."
Sasuke looked up from his book, and Naruto forced a grin.
"If I don't see you before you leave, try not to die out there."
Sasuke scoffed. "It's a lot easier when I'm not constantly making sure you don't get yourself killed."
Naruto flipped him off. Normally he'd argue, but today, he didn't really feel like it. He headed towards the window.
"Naruto."
His hand paused on the windowsill.
"Hm?"
Sasuke looked away, very pointedly. "I'm spending most of tomorrow training before I leave."
Naruto waited.
"I could probably use some one-on-one combat practice."
For a second, Naruto just stared. Then his entire mood lifted so fast it was almost embarrassing.
Sasuke wasn't looking at him anymore. His attention had suddenly become very focused on the book in his hands. Naruto grinned, wide and bright. Completely helpless.
"It's a date."
The pillow hit him square in the face. Naruto burst out laughing.
"Shut up."
Still laughing, Naruto jumped out the window. As he landed below, he could still hear Sasuke muttering insults from inside the room. For the first time all day, the knot in his chest loosened.
Maybe tomorrow would be good after all.
[…]
Sparring with Sasuke was one of Naruto's favourite things in life.
There was something almost calming about it. The moment they stepped onto the training ground, the rest of the world disappeared. There were no expectations. Just the two of them.
Naruto had always thought fighting Sasuke felt like speaking a language only they understood. Every movement had meaning, every feint expected a counter.
Although they often used ninjutsu, they had been going for a while, and at this point, they had resorted to taijutsu only. But there was no holding back.
Naruto lunged first, his fist shot towards Sasuke's jaw. Sasuke leaned back just enough for it to whistle past his face before stepping inside Naruto's guard, reaching for his wrist.
Naruto twisted away before Sasuke's fingers could close around him. He disappeared in a blur.
Sasuke clicked his tongue. "There you are."
Naruto had already launched himself into the trees to Sasuke's right, using the trunks as footholds before springing back towards him from his blind spot. Sasuke didn't even turn fully when a shuriken flashed through the air. Naruto reacted on instinct, drawing a kunai to knock it aside, metal clanging against metal.
The brief distraction was all Sasuke needed. The instant Naruto's feet touched the ground again— sweep. His legs disappeared from beneath him. Naruto hit the dirt with a grunt.
Before he could recover, Sasuke was already there. One knee pressed against Naruto's stomach, the other planted firmly beside his hip. A kunai hovered just above Naruto's throat, close enough that he could feel the cool metal.
Sasuke looked down at him.
"You're distracted,” he accused.
Naruto opened his mouth to argue, then promptly forgot how words worked.
Because there was... another problem. A stupid one. One entirely of Sasuke's making— you see, Sasuke had this shirt.
This stupid, stupid shirt.
It was white. Loose, way too loose. The neckline hung open enough to expose the collar of his shoulder and far more of his chest than any shirt reasonably should.
Naruto had complained about it before, mostly because white was impractical. Definitely because white was impractical. Not because every time Sasuke wore it to train, it somehow became impossible not to look.
Up close, it was even worse. The fabric clung slightly where it had darkened with sweat. Naruto could see the muscles in Sasuke's shoulders flex as he held the kunai steady.
A bead of sweat slid slowly down the side of Sasuke's neck. Naruto's eyes followed it automatically. Down his throat, across pale skin, lower and lower until it disappeared beneath the edge of the shirt.
Naruto frowned. For some reason, that felt... Disappointing. His eyes lingered for another second. He wondered if it kept going—
Naruto's entire body seized. Absolutely not. No. Nope. Never.
He shoved Sasuke off him with enough force that the Uchiha rolled onto his back several feet away. Sasuke stared up back at Naruto.
"What the fuck?"
Naruto scrambled to his feet. His heart hammered wildly in his chest. It was definitely because of the exercise.
Nothing weird was happening. Nothing at all.
"Again," Naruto blurted.
Sasuke remained on the ground, propped up on his forearms, looking thoroughly confused which somehow only made everything worse.
His dark hair had fallen messily into his face. The stupid shirt had slipped even further off one shoulder.
Naruto immediately looked somewhere else.
Absolutely not. This was ridiculous. Was Sasuke somehow using genjutsu? Could the Sharingan do that? No, that wasn't how Sharingans worked. Probably.
"Cmon," Naruto said far too quickly, pointing at the training field. "Up you get. Let's go again."
Sasuke didn’t move. Instead, he simply watched Naruto— really watched him. His dark eyes narrowed slightly as they searched Naruto's face.
Naruto could feel warmth creeping into his cheeks. Great, now he was blushing. Fantastic. He rapidly prepared at least six different insults in case Sasuke decided to mention it.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Naruto had never been so relieved to hear Ino's voice in his entire life. Sasuke finally looked away.
Slowly, he stood and brushed the dirt from his clothes. But when he glanced back at Naruto, there was still something suspicious in his expression. Like he knew something strange had just happened.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Ino complained as she walked over. “You two have been here for hours.”
Hours? It honestly hadn’t felt like it to Naruto.
“You promised we’d spend some time together today before you leave tomorrow,” she pouted.
“Right,” Sasuke said. “We lost track of time.”
Naruto swallowed. Normally, he’d have made some comment about Sasuke getting distracted because he couldn’t keep up. Normally, he’d have challenged him to one last round.
Instead, he found the nearest tree incredibly interesting.
“Well,” Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck, “I should probably get going.”
Neither of them said anything.
“So…” He gestured vaguely to Ino. “I’ll, uh… leave you two to it.”
To Naruto’s surprise, Ino was the one who looked taken back. He was never this quick to leave. Sasuke’s expression, on the other hand, remained unreadable.
“Good luck on the mission,” Naruto said, finally forcing himself to look at him. “I’ll see you when you get back.”
There was a beat of silence, then Sasuke gave a small nod.
“…. Yeah,” his eyes lingered on Naruto for a moment longer than usual. “See you then.”
Ino’s gaze drifted between the two of them, her head tilted ever so slightly.
Before she could say anything, Naruto turned on his heels, and was gone pretty much immediately.
[…]
Over the following couple of weeks, Naruto tried his best to ignore the training incident.
It got easier as the days passed, and eventually he managed to convince himself it had simply been a lapse in judgement. He was a young man, after all. And he knew Sasuke was attractive. He wasn't blind.
So yeah. His emotions had been running high, his blood pumping after sparring, and Sasuke had literally been on top of him, all sweaty and flushed. His brain had just... glitched. That was all. He was sure it wouldn't happen again.
Instead, he focused on other things while Sasuke was away. He helped his father with the preparations for the festival celebrating the tenth anniversary of Konoha's peace treaty with Suna. He spent time with Menma.
He even managed to fit in a few training sessions with Konohamaru.
"Again!" Konohamaru shouted, already scrambling back onto his feet after Naruto had sent him tumbling onto the grass.
Naruto laughed.
"You know, most people take a second to breathe before asking for another round."
"I'm not most people."
"No," Naruto agreed. "You're definitely not."
Konohamaru charged anyway. Naruto sidestepped easily, letting the boy's momentum carry him past before gently catching him by the back of his shirt. "You keep rushing in."
"But if I don't rush, you'll dodge everything anyway!"
"I dodge everything now."
Naruto tapped the boy's forehead.
"One day you won't be fighting me."
Konohamaru rubbed the spot dramatically.
"You're the worst.”
"And yet, you keep asking me to train you."
"Because you're the strongest!"
Naruto snorted. "I can think of at least a handful of people who'd disagree."
“Well, they’re wrong,” Konohamaru folded his arms. "I need your help if I'm going to become the fifth Hokage!”
Naruto raised an eyebrow. “The Fifth Hokage?"
"Of course!"
Naruto couldn't help laughing. “Sorry, kid, I think you're aiming a little too low."
Konohamaru frowned. “What do you mean?"
“Well..." Naruto scratched his cheek. "Itachi will probably be the Fifth once Dad retires."
That much seemed obvious. The entire village practically expected it, but the boy still looked disappointed.
"You could always aim for Sixth though."
Konohamaru's eyes lit up.
"The Sixth Hokage..." he nodded to himself with absolute conviction. "I like the sound of that."
"There you go,” Naruto grinned. “Think long-term."
"I'll be the greatest Sixth Hokage Konoha's ever had!"
"Now that's the spirit."
Konohamaru looked up at him curiously. “Hey, Naruto?"
"Hm?"
"Why don’t you want to be Hokage?"
Naruto paused, the question getting him off guard. He thought about it for a moment, glancing towards the Hokage Monument towering over the village.
"I think Dad's already doing a pretty great job,” he shrugged. “I don't really need the hat. Besides, I’ve seen the paperwork and I’m not interested.”
Konohamaru looked horrified.
"What paperwork?"
Naruto laughed. “Oh, buddy, you have no idea. But I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
Konohamaru looked thoughtful for a moment. “What do you want to do then?"
Naruto considered it. "I think I'd like to teach."
Konohamaru tilted his head.
"Teach?"
"Yeah,” Naruto smiled to himself. "I think it'd be fun having a genin team one day."
Not anytime soon. He'd only been a jonin for a little while and he still had plenty to learn himself. But someday? Definitely.
Kakashi-sensei had only been twenty-four when he took on Team Seven. Naruto could see himself doing something like that. Helping a group of kids become shinobi. Watching them grow, trying to be the kind of teacher his own had been.
"Well," Konohamaru declared confidently, "when I'm Hokage, I'll make sure you get the coolest genin team."
"Deal."
“Will you teach me the Rasengan now?”
Naruto laughed. “No, but nice try.”
“The worst,” Konohamaru groaned.
Naruto was still smiling to himself as he walked home later that afternoon, absently whistling under his breath. The smile faded the moment he stepped into the living room. Both of his parents were home, in the middle of the afternoon. That was never a good sign.
Minato wasn’t smiling, his expression calm and serious. Professional. Naruto stopped walking, dread curling in his stomach. He recognised that expression. The man standing in front of him wasn’t his father. He was the Hokage.
“Is someone dead?” he asked quietly, his throat suddenly feeling tight.
“No,” Minato answered.
Naruto slowly let out the breath he’d been holding. Okay. Nobody was dead. That was good.
“But someone is hurt,” he said.
Minato and Kushina exchanged a brief look.
“Why don’t we sit down—“ Kushina began gently.
“Just tell me,” Naruto kept his voice level. They were shinobi. This was part of the job.
“Tenzo’s team returned from their mission last night,” Minato said carefully. “There were unforeseen complications. Intelligence we didn’t have beforehand. Had we know, the mission would’ve been classified as S-rank.”
Naruto felt his stomach sink.
“There were no casualties, but…” Minato hesitated. “Sasuke—“
Whatever came after Sasuke’s name, Naruto never heard, the door slamming shut before either of his parents could stop him.
[…]
Naruto arrived at the hospital quicker than he thought was humanly possible.
He must have looked like a mad man, because the medic who pointed him in the right direction looked slightly alarmed.
He rushed in, his heart pounding against his ribs as he stepped into the room. Itachi was there too, sitting beside Sasuke’s bed with heavy bags beneath his eyes. Naruto wondered if he’d slept at all.
Sasuke looked… rough. But at least he was awake.
“What happened?” Naruto asked, his voice coming out much quieter than he’d intended.
“That,” Sasuke said, sitting up a little straighter before immediately flinching, one hand instinctively moving to his ribs, “is classified information.”
Naruto took a couple of steps forward without thinking, his eyes scanning every visible injury. There were bandages wrapped around Sasuke’s chest and left arm, bruising beneath his eyes and a deep cut across his cheek. Sasuke was so rarely injured that the sight alone made something tighten painfully in Naruto’s chest.
“Get that stupid look off your face, moron,” Sasuke muttered. “I’m fine.”
There was an attempt at his usual bite, but it didn’t quite land. Naruto looked to Itachi instead, not believing a word Sasuke said.
“Is he?”
“Hey—“
“The medics expect him to make a full recovery,” Itachi answered with a tired sigh before Sasuke could complain. “A couple of broken ribs, some internal bleeding, and he shouldn’t be using the Sharingan for at least a month—“
He fixed his younger brother with a pointed look.
“But physically,” Itachi continued, “he should recover well.”
Naruto slowly let out the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding.
“I said I’m fine,” Sasuke grumbled.
“Forgive us for not believing a word that comes out of your mouth when you always—“
The rest of Naruto’s sentence died in his throat as the hospital room door burst open.
“Sasuke!”
Ino hurried inside, and without thinking, she threw her arms around him. Sasuke hissed sharply in pain. Naruto’s eye twitched, and he briefly considered introducing Ino to the window.
“I’m sorry,” she let go quickly, stumbling back. “I’m so sorry.”
Her hands hovered uncertainly before gently cupping his face instead, careful not to touch the cut on his cheek. Her blue eyes darted over every bruise.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Sasuke replied, sounding more annoyed than convincing.
“Well, you don’t look fine, you idiot.”
Despite the sharpness of her words, there wasn’t a trace of teasing in her voice— only relief and worry. Real worry. For the first time since they’d stated dating, Ino barely seemed aware Naruto was even in the room.
She wasn’t trying to provoke him. Wasn’t making little comments or glancing his way. She was simply looking at Sasuke.
“You made me worry,” she said. “Worrying is terrible for the skin, you know.”
Sasuke’s expression eased, if only a little.
“… Sorry.”
Naruto blinked. He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard Sasuke apologise so quickly.
The room fell quiet. After a moment, Itachi stood.
“Well, I guess I can leave for now.”
Sasuke looked up. “You don’t have to.”
“I’ve been here all night,” Itachi offered him a small smile. “You’ve got company now.”
Itachi eyes met Naruto’s. “Would you mind staying with him?”
Naruto opened his mouth, but before he could answer, Ino spoke.
“I’ll stay.”
Itachi hesitated for only a second before nodding. “Thank you.”
Ino pulled the chair closer to Sasuke's bed and was quietly scolding him for trying to sit up too much. Without really thinking about it, she reached over and took his hand.
Naruto swallowed. His own hands suddenly felt awkward hanging at his sides.
“Are you staying as well?” Itachi asked as he walked past Naruto.
“I…” he rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the couple. He almost felt as if he was intruding. “I should probably leave too.”
That caught Sasuke’s attention, and he frowned. "You can stay."
Naruto forced a grin.
"You've got enough people fussing over you."
Sasuke looked like he wanted to argue. Instead, he just sighed.
"...Fine."
"Don't do anything stupid."
"I'm in a hospital bed."
"Exactly."
That finally earned the faintest snort from Sasuke. Naruto smiled, then followed Itachi out into the hallway. They walked out of the hospital in silence, but as they stepped outside, Naruto hesitated for a moment, itching to go back.
“I’ll walk you home,” Itachi said.
Normally, Naruto would’ve protested, as the Uchiha compound was on the complete opposite side of the village. Today, though, he was too exhausted to argue.
For a while, neither of them spoke as they walked, until Itachi finally said, “He’s going to be okay.”
Naruto blinked, shaking his head slightly was though trying to gather his thoughts.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “It’ll take a lot more than that to beat the bastard.”
A small smile crossed Itachi’s face.
“I’m surprised you didn’t stay.”
Naruto made a face before he could stop himself.
“Well… it’s not like he’s sitting there alone.”
“No.”
They walked in silence for another few moments.
“You don’t like Ino very much, do you?” Itachi asked.
Naruto felt heat creep into his cheeks.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he said a little too quickly. “She’s… fine.”
Itachi hummed.
“I see.”
Naruto frowned. “What?”
“Nothing.”
The answer somehow made him even more suspicious. After a moment, Itachi spoke again.
“You know, he was unconscious when they brought him in last night.”
Naruto’s stomach tightened.
“When he woke up this morning, the first thing he asked was whether the mission had been successful.”
Naruto chuckled. “Of course he did.”
“The second thing he asked…” Itachi glanced sideways at him, “was whether you’d been told.”
“Me?” Naruto frowned.
“He assumed you’d show up.”
Naruto didn’t know what to say to that. For a while, only their footsteps filled the silence.
“Sasuke has always been strong,” Itachi said eventually. “But strength has never been the thing that worried me.”
The comment caught Naruto’s attention, and he listened quietly.
“The Sharingan is often spoken about as though it can only be born from hatred,” he paused. “I guess hatred is easier to remember.”
Naruto thought of the old stories. The Curse of Hatred, and the warnings every Uchiha grew up with.
“But that’s only half of it,” Itachi continued. “What people forget, is that love is just as powerful.”
“When Sasuke awakened his Sharingan,” a fond smile appeared on Itachi’s face. “It wasn’t because he wanted revenge. It was because he wanted to protect someone.”
Naruto remembered the Land of Waves vividly. The ice mirrors, Sasuke standing between him and Haku’s senbon. Sasuke’s blood on his hands. Naruto looked away, his throat tight.
“I’ve always thought that suited him better.”
Itachi said nothing more, as though he’d simply been sharing a memory. Eventually, he slowed to a stop.
“We’re here.”
Naruto blinked. “Oh,” he hadn’t even realised they’d reached his house. “Thanks.”
“Sasuke should be home in a couple of days,” Itachi smiled. “You should come by. It’s been a while.”
“Yeah,” Naruto nodded. “I will.”
“See you around, Naruto.”
With that, Itachi turned around and headed back towards the Uchiha compound. Naruto stood outside his house for a long moment, his mind replaying the conversation over and over. Eventually, he just shook his head.
Itachi really did say the strangest things sometimes.
[…]
Over the years, Naruto had become excellent at sneaking around.
Being the Hokage’s son meant growing up with experienced jonin and ANBU quietly trailing him almost every time he left the house. His father insisted it was for protection.
Naruto was fairly certain none of Minato’s enemies had a death wish strong enough to target his family, but the Fourth Hokage wasn’t the type to gamble with the people he loved.
It wasn’t something Naruto had really noticed as a kid. As a teenager, though, it became increasingly frustrating having people report his every movement back to his father.
So, he’d adapted. He learned how to disappear into crowds, how to move through the village unseen, or how to make his shadow clones convincing enough that even experienced shinobi occasionally lost track of the real one.
Sneaking into places had become second nature, which was why slipping through the hospital window well after visiting hours ended wasn’t particularly difficult. Sasuke wasn’t even meant to be there much longer, but still, Naruto couldn’t bring himself to wait. The knot in his chest hadn’t loosened since his father had said Sasuke’s name. He needed to see him again, convince himself that he was really alright.
The moment Naruto landed silently inside the room, Sasuke stirred, his eyes slowly blinking open.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.
Naruto shrugged.
“Yeah, well,” a small smile tugged at his lips. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
The corner of Sasuke’s mouth twitched upwards, just barely, and he didn’t argue. Naruto quietly dragged the chair from against the wall and placed it beside the bed before sitting down as close as he could.
“Hn,” Sasuke studied him through half-lidded eyes. “The long face is back.”
“Shut up, bastard.”
“Hn.”
That seemed to take more effort than Sasuke was willing to give. His head settled back against the pillow, the medication clearly making him drowsy. He turned his face away from Naruto and closed his eyes again.
Naruto didn’t say anything. He just… watched him. As thought looking away might somehow make him disappear. For the briefest moment, he was twelve years old again, surrounded by ice mirrors and holding Sasuke’s body against his own.
His chest tightened. Without really thinking about it, Naruto reached out, his fingers finding Sasuke’s hand resting on top of the blanket. He laced their fingers together, and Sasuke didn’t pull away, but his hand stayed limp for a second.
Slowly, Sasuke turned his head. His gaze drifted down to their joined hands, then back to Naruto.
“You scared me,” Naruto admitted quietly.
His thumb brushed absentmindedly across Sasuke’s bruised knuckles. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then, almost hesitantly, Sasuke’s fingers curled around his in a weak grip.
“Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke murmured softly, like it meant something entirely different than it usually did.
Something warm settled heavily in Naruto’s chest — something he couldn’t quite name.
“Go back to sleep.”
Sasuke watched him for another moment. Then, apparently deciding he was too tired to argue, his eyes slipped shut once more. He never let go of Naruto’s hand.
Naruto wasn’t sure how long he sat there. Minutes, maybe hours. The room was silent except for the rhythmic beeping of the monitor and the steady rise and fall of Sasuke’s breathing. Little by little, the tightness in Naruto’s chest eased.
As dawn began to creep through the hospital window, pale morning light spilling across the floor, Naruto knew the medics would start their rounds soon. Reluctantly, he let go. Sasuke’s fingers loosened around his almost immediately.
Naruto stood and walked back towards the window. Just before climbing through it, he glanced over his shoulder one last time. Sasuke was still asleep, looking peaceful. Alive.
The dread that had haunted him since yesterday was finally gone. In its place was something quieter — something warm. It settled somewhere deep beneath his ribs, making him frown.
Naruto silently slipped back out the window, deciding not to think too hard about it.
[…]
When Minato first proposed a peace treaty with Suna, the council had called him crazy.
They said it was impossible. The animosity between the two villages had run deep for generations. Time and time again, they found themselves on opposite sides of wars, each conflict breeding another reason to hate the other.
To Minato, though, that was exactly why it had to end.
He had seen too much death during the Third Shinobi World War. There had been too many names carved into memorial stones, too many children growing up without parents. When he became the Fourth Hokage, he promised himself he would leave the next generation a better world than the one he’d inherited.
Peace wasn’t idealistic — it was necessary. But that doesn’t mean it had been easy.
Every proposal had been met with resistance. The council argued Suna would never agree, and even if they did, they couldn’t be trusted. And Suna hadn’t exactly been welcoming to the idea either.
But then the Land of Wind’s daimyo began outsourcing missions that traditionally belonged to Sunagakure to Konoha instead. When Suna’s economy started collapsing, suddenly diplomacy wasn’t quite so impossible anymore.
Naruto had only been little when it happened, but he’d heard the story enough times to know the rest. But the real bargaining chip was the fact his parents had known about the One-Tail sealed inside the Kazekage’s youngest son, Gaara. Much like Kushina had once struggled with Kurama, the boy was slowly being consumed by Shukaku.
The council had argued against getting involved. If Kushina succeeded in helping Gaara connect with his bijuu the way she had with Kurama, they wouldn’t just be helping a child, they’d be creating one of Suna’s greatest military assets.
It was a gamble. Minato took it anyway.
It turned out to be one of the best decisions he’d ever made. The treaty was signed shortly afterwards, and the years that followed brought prosperity to both villages.
Kushina spent months at a time travelling between Konoha and Suna, helping Gaara understand the beast sealed inside him. It hadn’t happened overnight. There had been setbacks, arguments. There had been more than one occasion where Kushina came home looking like she’d wrestled a sandstorm.
But little by little, Gaara began to change. The angry, frightened little boy she’d first met slowly disappeared. When Kushina finally felt confident enough, she started bringing Naruto with her. Surprisingly, the two boys clicked almost instantly.
Gaara was quiet, but Naruto certainly wasn’t. Somehow, it worked. Naruto happily talked enough for both of them, while Gaara slowly grew comfortable talking back. Their friendship was different from the one he shared with Sasuke, but Naruto still considered Gaara one of his closest friends.
He doubted Gaara would ever admit it out loud, but Naruto liked to think meeting the Uzumakis had changed the course of his life.
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the treaty, Konoha was throwing a festival with Suna as the guests of honour. Minato had been planning it for over a year, and Naruto was proud to say he’d helped wherever he could.
By the time the celebrations arrived, the village looked completely different. Banners bearing both villages’ symbols fluttered from rooftops, hundreds of paper lanterns hung across the streets, ready to be lit once the sun went down.
Stalls selling food, games and handmade crafts lined the village centre, while shinobi from both villages worked together making the final preparations. Visitors from the Land of Wind had been arriving throughout the week. Temari and Kankuro had made it a couple of days before.
The Kazekage and Gaara, however, had been delayed, sending word that an urgent matter had required their attention. Naruto had only been mildly disappointed, but he could wait a bit longer.
As the next morning rolled around, however, he was practically vibrating beside the village gates.
“Naruto,” Minato sighed. “Calm down.”
“I am calm.”
His father gave him a look, and Naruto grinned. Kushina looked suspiciously close to bouncing beside him herself, though she at least had the self-control to hide it better.
The distant sound of hoofbeats echoed down the road, and Naruto straightened.
“They’re here.”
A small caravan emerged through the morning dust. At its centre, walked the Kazekage, flanked by Suna shinobi. Just behind him, Naruto spotted Gaara.
The moment their eyes met, Gaara’s normally composed expression softened into the faintest smile. Naruto had to physically stop himself from running across the road.
As the visitors came to a halt at the gates, Minato stepped forward.
“Kazegake-sama,” he extended his hand.
Rasa accepted the handshake without hesitation. “Hokage-sama. Thank you for having us.”
“The honour is ours,” Minato replied. “Konoha is pleased to welcome allies. I hope your journey was without too much trouble.”
“Long, but uneventful,” Rasa answered. “For that, I am grateful.”
Behind them, members of both villages exchanged respectful bows. The atmosphere remained formal, every word measured, every movement deliberate. Naruto knew his father had spent months planning this welcome down to the smallest detail.
Which meant he definitely wasn't supposed to wave enthusiastically across the delegation.
He did anyway.
Gaara's smile widened just enough to be noticeable. Kushina noticed too, and laughed quietly under her breath.
Formalities concluded, Minato stepped aside, gesturing toward his family.
“Allow me to properly welcome you to Konoha.”
That was apparently enough permission for the diplomatic masks to crack.
“Kushina-san,” Gaara greeted, his usually level voice carrying a warmth it rarely did.
“Gaara,” Kushina smiled so brightly Naruto was fairly certain she was resisting every instinct to pull the boy into a hug. “How many times do I have to tell you to drop the honorific?”
Gaara looked genuinely conflicted. “It wouldn’t be appropriate, Kushina-san.”
His cheeks flushed faintly, and Kushina’s expression softened. Naruto was convinced that, if she had her way, Gaara would be calling her Ma by now.
“I’m sure you must be tired after your journey,” Minato said. “Allow me to escort you to your quarters.”
Rasa inclined his head. “We appreciate your hospitality, Hokage-sama.”
He gestured for the rest of the delegation to follow. Gaara, however, hesitated.
“Father.”
Rasa looked back.
“I was wondering…” Gaara glanced briefly towards Naruto. “If I might spend some time with Naruto first.”
Naruto’s entire face lit up. “Hell yeah!”
Kushina elbowed him in the ribs. “Naruto.”
“What?”
“Language.”
Naruto mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like worth it. Rasa’s gaze shifted to Minato.
“I’m sure Naruto-san has other commitments.”
“Nonsense,” Minato waved a hand dismissively. “Naruto would be more than happy to show Gaara around. And Gaara has always been an excellent influence on my hopeless son.”
Naruto gasped. “What does that mean?”
Minato raised an eyebrow.
“You just shouted ‘hell yeah’ in the middle of a diplomatic reception.”
“…Fair enough.”
Gaara let out a quiet laugh, and it was enough to make Naruto grin even wider.
Rasa sighed, the expression looking remarkably familiar. Maybe all fathers were the same.
“I suppose that would be acceptable,” he looked at Gaara. “Your brother and sister are waiting. Don’t be gone too long.”
“Yes, Father.”
The moment Rasa looked away, Naruto grabbed Gaara by the wrist. “Cmon!”
He barely gave the poor boy time to say goodbye before dragging him through the village. Once they were safely out of sight of the delegation, Naruto finally slowed down.
“It’s good to see you!” Naruto beamed. “I was bummed when you didn’t show up with Temari and Kankuro.”
Gaara smiled apologetically.
“Father had to stay behind to deal with an emergency. He thought it would be good for me to arrive ahead of him.”
Naruto nodded. That made sense. Everyone knew Gaara was being prepared to succeed Rasa as Kazekage one day, things like this were probably part of his training.
“It was good, though,” Gaara said after a moment, and Naruto tilted his head. “Being there.”
Gaara looked towards the festival decorations stretching across the village streets.
“Meeting people, representing my father,” he paused. “I used to hate things like it.”
Naruto smiled. “I know.”
Gaara glanced over. “But I don’t anymore.”
“I’m glad,” Naruto’s smile softened.
“So am I.”
For a moment, they simply stood there, surrounded by lanterns swaying gently in the summer breeze. Then Naruto clapped his hands together.
“Right!” His grin returned in full force. “First things first.”
Gaara looked at him expectantly.
“We’re getting dango.”
A tiny sigh escaped Gaara, but he smiled.
“Lead the way.”
[…]
“Now,” Naruto said eagerly, biting the last dango off his stick, “tell me what’s new.”
Gaara glanced at him.
“How’s Kazekage training? Is your father still being a stuck-up bastard? Kankuro’s makeup looked different yesterday. Are his puppets getting creepier? And how’s your love life? Do you have a boyfriend to tell me about?”
Gaara let out quiet laugh. “Naruto.”
“What?”
“One question at a time.”
“But I haven’t seen you in forever!” Naruto whined. “I have so much to catch up on.”
Without thinking, he slung an arm around Gaara’s shoulders as they continued down the street. Gaara had hated being touched when they were younger. These days, he was still a little awkward about it, but he never seemed to mind when it was Naruto.
“Why don’t you start?” Gaara suggested.
Naruto thought for a moment.
“Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin,” he paused, then snapped his fingers. “Actually, you won’t believe how big Menma’s gotten! He started at the Academy recently and—“
“Naruto.”
The voice made him stop in his tracks, and he turned his head towards it.
“Oh,” a grin spread across his face. “Hey, Sasuke!”
The Uchiha stood a few metres away, a shopping bag hanging from one hand.
“What are you doing here?”
Sasuke looked down at the bag.
“Groceries.”
Naruto blinked. “Right,” that had been a stupid question. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
He certainly looked better. It had been a couple of weeks since he’d been discharged from the hospital. The cut on his cheek had healed completely, leaving no trace behind.
“Sasuke-kun,” Gaara greeted with a polite nod. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Gaara,” Sasuke returned the nod, his voice just as flat.
The two of them looked at each other in silence. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. These two had never really clicked. Gaara always seemed willing to make conversation, but Sasuke… less so.
“Naruto mentioned in his letters that you made jonin,” Gaara said after a moment. “Congratulations.”
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
“Did he?”
Naruto suddenly found the ground fascinating.
“It’s been a while,” Sasuke replied. “But thank you.”
“Well, I haven’t been to Konoha in over a year.”
“Exactly!” Naruto jumped back into the conversation. “You should visit more often. Or we can come to Suna,” he paused. “As long as it’s not during summer. The heat can be a bit much.”
Gaara smiled faintly. “A bit?”
Naruto laughed. “I thought I was going to melt.”
“You survived.”
“Barely.”
“You’ll just have to visit in winter instead.”
Sasuke let out a quiet breath through his nose. Gaara turned back to him.
“Will you be joining us at the festival tomorrow?”
Sasuke’s eyes flicked briefly between the two of them. His gaze lingered for a second on Naruto’s arm still draped over Gaara’s shoulders. Naruto could’ve sworn something in his expression tightened. Almost like… annoyance.
Naruto slowly lowered his arm.
“I don’t think so,” Sasuke answered.
“Like at all?” Naruto asked in surprise.
Sasuke shrugged.
“What about the fireworks?”
They always watched the fireworks together. Every festival. He’d even promised Menma he was finally old enough to stay up with them this year.
Sasuke shifted the shopping bag in his hand.
“I already made plans with Ino.”
“Oh,” Naruto tried not to let the disappointment show. “Well... maybe afterwards we could—“
“I should get going,” Sasuke cut him off sharply before he could finish. “I’ll see you around.”
Before Naruto had the chance to reply, Sasuke turned and continued down the street. Naruto watched him disappear into the crowd, and his shoulders sagged. Beside him, Gaara remained quiet.
“You two seemed odd,” he said, and Naruto looked over. “Is everything alright?”
Naruto sighed.
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” he waved a hand dismissively. “We’re fine.”
It sounded unconvincing.
“He’s just been busy lately. You know, with his new girlfriend,” Naruto shrugged, and Gaara frowned. “Which honestly would be fine if she wasn’t so annoying. I swear, she’s the worst.”
Naruto threw his hands into the air dramatically.
“She’s always making these little comments. I don’t even know what her problem is,” he complained, then his eyes lit up and he grinned mischievously. “Oh, actually! Speaking of girlfriends… Is Temari still single? Because, you see, Shikamaru—“
“Wait,” Gaara held up a hand. “Uchiha has a girlfriend?”
Naruto blinked.
“…Yeah. Were you not listening?”
“I was,” Gaara frowned thoughtfully. “It’s just... I always assumed he was gay.”
Naruto stared. Like, really stared.
Gaara might as well have announced the moon was actually a giant Sharingan and they’d all been living inside a genjutsu.
“What?” Naruto’s voice came out embarrassingly high. “Sasuke?”
“Yes.”
“Gay?”
Gaara nodded once.
“I thought so.”
Naruto laughed. Then he laughed again.
“Why would you think that?”
Gaara shrugged. “He simply strikes me as gay.”
Naruto opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.
“But…” he gestured vaguely. “You’re gay.”
“Yes,” Gaara looked completely unbothered. “As surprising as this may be, Naruto, more than one person is allowed to be gay at a time.”
“I know that!” Naruto protested. “It’s just… if you’re gay, and you thought Sasuke was gay—“
Gaara raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”
Naruto shifted awkwardly.
“Were you… into him?”
Gaara looked offended. “I’d rather die.”
Well, that’s harsh. Naruto frowned, trying to understand it. Sasuke was— well, Sasuke. He was ridiculously good looking. Girls practically threw themselves at him. It wasn’t exactly hard to imagine that men would too.
Sasuke had a stupidly pretty face, nice hands. That stupid white training shirt—
Naruto physically shook his head. Absolutely not. He was not doing this again.
“I mean,” he cleared his throat. “Objectively speaking.”
Gaara waited.
“He’d probably be… a catch.”
Gaara stared at him for a long moment.
“…Right.”
Naruto frowned. “What?”
“Nothing,” Gaara sighed. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. So he has a girlfriend. What’s actually bothering you?”
Naruto looked at him like he’d asked the world’s easiest question.
“The problem is that she’s the worst,” he folded his arms. “Man, you really were not listening.”
Gaara frowned again. “So that’s your only issue?”
“Yeah,” Naruto looked genuinely confused. “What else would there be?”
Gaara studied him carefully. He opened his mouth, then paused. His gaze suddenly unfocused for a brief moment. Naruto recognised that look straight away —it was the same expression Kushina sometimes got whenever Kurama interrupted her train of thought.
“Shukaku?” Naruto asked.
Gaara blinked, the corner of his mouth twitched upwards.
“Does he have an opinion?” Naruto asked flatly.
Gaara let out a quiet chuckle.
“Nothing you’d be interested in hearing.”
“Oh, cmon.”
“No.”
“Please?”
“I value my peace.”
Naruto pouted. “Fine.”
Gaara smiled to himself.
“Now, what was it you were saying about Temari and Shikamaru?”
Naruto’s grin immediately returned. “Okay, so here’s the plan—“
As Naruto enthusiastically launched into what he believed to be an absolutely foolproof matchmaking strategy, he pushed Gaara’s earlier comment to the back of his mind.
It was ridiculous. Impossible, really. He and Sasuke were best friends. They’d told each other everything since they were kids. If Sasuke was gay, he’d surely have told Naruto by now.
Right?
[…]
When Naruto was a child, festivals were nothing but fun.
Don’t get him wrong, they still were. But now that he was older, he was expected to take part in the formalities involved — he had to sit through his father’s welcome, the Kazekage’s speech, joint dance performances prepared specifically for them.
It actually wasn’t too bad, but Naruto was itching to go do his own thing. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, Minato officially declared the festival open, and the crowd erupted into cheers.
Musicians struck up a fast tune, lanterns overhead flickered to life as dusk settled over the village, and within seconds the carefully organised ceremony dissolved into controlled chaos — exactly how Naruto liked it.
“You’re free to go,” Minato smiled, catching the way his son was practically vibrating beside him.
“Are you sure?”
“Naruto,” Kushina sighed fondly. “You haven’t been paying attention for at least the last twenty minutes.”
Naruto looked offended. “That’s not true.”
“Name one thing the Kazekage said,” Minato challenged.
Naruto paused.
“…Peace?”
Minato chuckled. “Go.”
Naruto didn’t have to be told twice. He smiled and quickly left to collect his little brother from Kakashi so they could start enjoying the festivities.
He wandered for a while before finding Kakashi sitting beneath one of the lantern-lined trees, his nose buried in his book as though there wasn’t a festival happening around him. Menma, meanwhile, was bouncing impatiently beside him.
The moment he spotted Naruto, the boy lit up.
“Nii-chan!” He sprinted over, and Naruto barely had time to brace himself before a small body collided with him.
“Whoa!” He laughed, catching his little brother before he toppled them both over. “Someone’s excited.”
Menma nodded so enthusiastically Naruto was surprised his head stayed attached to his neck.
“Kakashi-sensei let me get face paint!” He said excitedly, turning his face to show off the fox painted across one cheek, its tail curling all the way up to his eyebrow.
“Looks good, buddy,” Naruto grinned.
“He was surprisingly persuasive,” Kakashi said, lazily turning a page.
Menma puffed out his chest proudly. “I said please.”
“Several dozen times,” Kakashi added.
Naruto laughed. “Thanks for watching him, Kakashi-sensei.”
“Hn.”
Kakashi sounded as though he’d just completed an exhausting mission rather than supervised one seven-year-old for an hour.
Naruto turned back to Menma.
“Ready to go?”
“Yes!”
Menma grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Now there was one more person Naruto needed to track down before they could really start enjoying the festival. Luckily, it didn’t take long to locate his target.
“Shika!”
Shikamaru looked up from the meat skewer he’d been eating.
“You’re exactly who I was looking for,” Naruto said with a grin.
Shikamaru’s expression became suspicious. “That’s usually bad news.”
Naruto waved a hand dismissively.
“Not at all. Menma and I were just going to get some food, and we were wondering if you wanted to join us.”
Shikamaru slowly looked down at the half-eaten skewer in his hand. Naruto ignored that.
“It’s just me and Menma, so—“
“Well, this is convenient.”
Naruto turned. Temari approached from the opposite direction, with Gaara walking beside her, looking entirely unbothered by the crowds parting around him.
“Fancy running into you,” she said with a smirk, then turned to her brother. “I thought you said it was just Naruto and Menma.”
Shikamaru stared at Naruto, unimpressed.
“Is that so?”
Naruto looked between the four of them, doing his best impression of an innocent man.
“Wow. What are the odds?”
Gaara nodded, his expression so serious it somehow made the lie even worse.
“Remarkably low.”
Naruto had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing.
“Actually,” he snapped his fingers dramatically. “I just remembered. Menma really wanted to see the games.”
Menma blinked up at him.
“… Did I?”
Naruto leaned down, lowering his voice just enough to be conspiratorial.
“You do now.”
“Oh,” Menma nodded, entirely too pleased to be in on the scheme. “I do.”
Naruto beamed. “You two should still get something to eat, though,” he said, gesturing between Temari and Shikamaru. “We can link up later?”
Neither of them looked convinced. Naruto choose to take their silence as agreement, and grabbed Gaara by the sleeve of his yukata.
“Cmon!”
Before Shikamaru or Temari could object, Naruto hurried away, pulling Gaara along while Menma raced ahead of them.
Once they were far enough that neither of their victims could reasonably call them back, Naruto finally slowed down.
He glanced over his shoulder. Temari and Shikamaru were still standing exactly where they’d left them. Success.
“Do you really think that’s going to work?” Gaara asked.
Naruto smiled mischievously. “I have, like, fifteen more ideas if it doesn’t.”
Gaara raised an eyebrow.
“But we’ll start slowly,” Naruto continued. “See what happens if they’re forced to spend some time alone together.”
Gaara chuckled. “You know, Temari was unusually excited about visiting Konoha this time.”
Naruto pointed at him. “Exactly,” he grinned. “I’m telling you, they’re so into each other.”
“Nii-chan,” Naruto looked down, and Menma was staring at him expectantly. “I’m hungry.”
Naruto laughed.
“Yes, yes, sorry,” he held up his hands. “Food first, then games?”
Menma’s entire face brightened. He grabbed Naruto’s sleeve with one hand and Gaara’s with then other.
“Let’s go!”
Before either of them could argue, he began dragging them deeper into the lantern-lit streets.
[…]
The three of them spent the next couple of hours wandering wherever Menma decided looked the most interesting.
Every corner seemed louder than the last. Children darted between crowds with cotton candy in hand while musicians somewhere deeper in the village filled the air with drums and flutes. At times, Naruto caught himself scanning the crowd for a familiar flash of dark hair, but whenever he realised what he was doing, he’d quickly rein himself back in and focus on other things.
They stopped at all kinds of food stalls, ranging from dango and takoyaki to flatbread and spiced grilled meats from the Land of Wind. Menma discovered very quickly that he was not, in fact, a fan of spicy food.
Next, they watched a puppet performance retelling the story of Hashirama and Madara. Naruto had several comments regarding its historical accuracy, but considering the audience was mostly children, he decided to keep them to himself.
Eventually, they made their way towards the games, and Menma insisted on trying nearly every single one — goldfish scooping, yo-yo tsuri, ring toss. Most stalls had signs with bold letters saying ‘No chakra enhancement’. Not that Naruto would ever.
Gaara proved to be surprisingly good at almost every game, and when he quietly won a prize with his first shot at ring toss, he handed it to Menma without a word. Menma declared him his favourite visitor from Suna, and Gaara looked pleased with himself.
When they came across a game of shuriken throwing, Menma literally begged to have a go. Given they were rubber anyway, Naruto didn’t have the heart to say no.
For a while, Naruto simply watched. Menma stood with his tongue poking out in concentration as he threw each shuriken with all the determination a seven-year-old could muster.
Naruto knew the game was almost certainly rigged. The targets were far heavier than they needed to be, while the shuriken themselves were deliberately light. It wasn’t designed for children to win — it was designed for them to keep playing.
Menma didn’t have to know that. He just kept trying, and on his very last throw, one of the smaller targets finally tipped over with the softest clunk.
The stall owner laughed. “Well, look at that!”
He reached beneath the counter and handed Menma the tiniest plush fox Naruto had ever seen, but it perfectly matched the painting on his face.
Menma gasped, and held it like he’d just won a grand prize. Other children, from both Sand and Leaf, quickly gathered around him, just as amazed by it.
Something about the sight caught Naruto off guard, warm spreading through his chest before he could stop it. This was what the treaty was really about, wasn’t it? Not the paperwork, or the ceremonies. Just this— kids from two villages crowding around a toy, kids who would never have to remember what war looked like.
He was still smiling when Gaara’s voice cut through the moment.
“Huh,” he said, brow furrowing.
Naruto turned toward him, but Gaara wasn’t looking at him at all — his gaze was fixed somewhere down the street.
“Guess I was wrong.”
Naruto frowned. “Wrong about what?”
He followed Gaara’s line of sight, and his stomach dropped before his brain had even caught up with what he was looking at. Sasuke and Ino, kissing. Properly kissing. Sasuke’s hand curled at her waist like it belonged there.
Naruto felt something twist low in his gut.
Logically, he knew this was what couples did. They hold hands, kiss. Presumably more than that, though he shoved that particular thought away before it could fully form.
It was normal. Natural. Nothing to make a big deal out of.
Except he hadn’t actually seen them like this before, not really. Not beyond Ino draping herself over Sasuke’s arm in front of their friends. It had been easy, almost comforting, to assume it wasn’t serious. Just a phase, something that would quietly fizzle out in a month or two, and things would go back to normal.
This didn’t look like it was fizzling out.
This looked like Sasuke was in love with someone. Someone who would slowly become the most important person in his life. The place Naruto had occupied for as long as he could remember suddenly didn’t feel quite so secure.
He didn’t examine that thought too closely. He didn’t want to know what he’d find.
“I gotta go,” Naruto said abruptly, tearing his eyes away.
“Are you alright?” Gaara asked.
“I’m— I’m not feeling too well,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Gaara studied him for a beat too long, something unreadable flickering across his face. “…Alright.”
Naruto didn’t wait to see if he’d say anything else. He crossed to the stall where Menma was still hurling rubber shuriken, and grabbed the boy by the wrist.
“We’re leaving, buddy.”
“What?” Menma’s face fell. “Why?”
“It’s getting late. We should head back,” Naruto said, not quite managing to look at him.
“But I don’t want to!” Menma dug his heels in as Naruto tried to steer him down the street. “You said we’d watch the fireworks!”
“Menma—“
“No, you said I was finally old enough this year!” His voice cracked, indignant. “You promised!”
Naruto stopped in the middle of an emptier side street, well clear of the crowds, and looked back at his little brother. Menma’s eyes were shining, on the verge of actual tears, and Naruto felt something in his chest cave in.
He was the worst. The actual worst.
He had promised. And Naruto Namikaze did not break his promises — that was practically the foundation of his personality, if you asked half the village. But right now the thing crawling under his skin wanted nothing more than to go home, bury his face in his pillow, and not think about anything at all.
Menma yanked his hand free and crossed his arms, bottom lip jutting out. “I’m not leaving.”
Naruto took a slow breath, forcing his mind to quiet. Then he crouched down until he was eye level with his brother.
“Okay. What if I take you somewhere better to watch them? A secret spot.”
Menma eyed him warily, unconvinced. “You’re not just gonna take me home instead?”
“Not until we’ve seen the fireworks. Promise,” Naruto held up two fingers. “You were right. I did say this year. And we don’t break promises, right?”
Something in Menma’s expression softened. Slowly, he lifted his own hand, hooking his fingers through Naruto’s.
“Right.”
Naruto managed something close to a real smile, then turned and crouched lower, patting his back. “Hop on.”
Menma scrambled onto him without needing to be asked twice, small arms looping around his neck. Naruto adjusted his grip under the boy’s knees and took off into the dark, putting the festival —and everything he’d seen in it— as far behind him as he could.
[…]
“Wow,” Menma whispered, mesmerised.
Naruto smiled.
“I know.”
He had brought the boy to the same clearing above the Hokage Monument that Shikamaru had shown him all those years ago.
The village stretched in front of them, glowing beneath hundreds of paper lanterns. Even from this far away, they could still hear distant laughter and music drifting up through the warm summer air.
“Pretty cool, huh?”
Menma nodded eagerly.
“It’s so tiny from up here.”
Naruto laughed. “It does kinda look like a model village.”
He sat down on the grass a safe distance from the cliff’s edge before patting the ground beside him. “C’mere.”
Menma sat next to his brother, and Naruto bumped their shoulders together.
“This place is our secret, okay? So you can’t tell anyone.”
“I promise,” Menma said, deadly serious, and Naruto ruffled his hair.
“Knew I could trust you.”
The boy beamed. “Do you think it’ll be much longer?”
“Don’t think so. Just gotta wait a bit.”
Menma nodded and turned his eyes back to the village, watching the lights dancing below, legs bouncing with restless anticipation.
Every so often, he glanced over at Naruto, who was doing his best impression of someone having a totally normal night, methodically picking at the grass while the image of Sasuke and Ino stayed burned behind his eyelids no matter how hard he tried to blink it away.
“Nii-chan,” Menma’s voice was quiet when it finally came. “Why are you sad?”
Naruto froze. He looked over at his little brother’s face, open and worried in a way that made his stomach drop all over again. Menma wasn’t supposed to be the one worrying tonight. That wasn’t how this was supposed to go.
“I’m not sad, otouto,” Naruto gave his best attempt at a reassuring smile. “It’s just grown-up stuff. Promise I’m okay.”
Menma didn’t look like he believed him, or like he was going to let it go either, but before he could push further, the first firework tore into the sky, and every thought in his head seemed to scatter at once.
“Nii-chan!” he jumped to his feet, eyes wide. “Look!”
Naruto watched the boy’s face light up along with the sky, colours blooming and scattering overhead, and something in his chest loosened just slightly at the sight of it.
He made himself turn and watch the show too, made himself focus on that instead of the quiet, stupid thought that Sasuke should have been sitting right here with them.
If something in his chest cracked a little at the sound of each firework going off, well. That’s just what fireworks did.
[…]
“This used to be my spot, you know.”
Naruto shifted his head slightly, finding Shikamaru staring down at him with his usual bored expression.
“Well, learn how to share,” Naruto said childishly, turning back to the sky.
Shikamaru shook his head before lying down beside him, folding his arms behind his head as he looked up at the drifting clouds.
“I showed it to Menma too, by the way.”
“Maybe I should put up a sign saying No Namikazes Allowed.”
Naruto snorted. “You’re the one who showed me this place.”
“And I’ve regretted it ever since,” Shikamaru deadpanned, though the corner of his mouth twitched. “I’ll let it slide this time, though.”
Naruto arched an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I have something to thank you for.”
Shikamaru looked away, but not before Naruto caught the faint blush creeping across his cheeks.
“Don’t ever meddle in my life again,” he said sternly. A beat passed, and he continued. “But… thanks. For the other night.”
Naruto grinned. “So… you and Temari?”
“Well,” Shikamaru cleared his throat. “I asked her on a date. She said yes.”
Naruto’s eyes widened, and a small smile escaped the Nara before he could stop it.
“We went out before they left. I think it went well.”
“You think?” Naruto laughed.
“She told me I should visit Suna,” he paused. “I think I might.”
Naruto smiled warmly. “I’m glad,” he said honestly. “I knew you two would work it out.”
Shikamaru hummed. “What about you?”
“What about me?” Naruto frowned.
“I’ll probably regret asking this, but…” Shikamaru let out a long sigh. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Naruto answered a little too quickly.
Shikamaru gave him a look. “Then why hasn’t anyone seen you for the past few days?”
Naruto pouted. That wasn’t entirely true. He’d spent time with Gaara before the Sand delegation returned home. Besides that, though, he supposed he had been avoiding everyone.
“I thought you didn’t want to hear about my problems,” he eventually said.
“No, I didn’t want to hear about your Ino problems,” Shikamaru corrected. “It’s called conflict of interest.”
“Well, she’s still part of it, so,” Naruto shrugged.
Shikamaru shook his head. “Of course she is,” he closed his eyes. “Alright, hit me. What is it this time?”
Naruto hesitated. The issue at hand, and the reason he’d needed time alone to look at the sky and think, was that he couldn’t find it in himself to blame Ino anymore.
Sure, she could’ve been nicer to him, but if he was being honest, he hadn’t exactly welcomed her with open arms either.
“I think I finally get it,” he said at last. “Why I’m so upset about Sasuke and Ino.”
“Is that so?” Shikamaru opened one eye. “And why’s that?”
Naruto let out a slow breath. “I think I was just scared, y’know. Of losing my best friend. I still am,” he smiled sadly. “But… I guess that’s just part of growing up. People find other people, they fall in love. They… move on.”
His chest tightened, and he paused, but Shikamaru waited patiently. “Even if Ino and I don’t get along very well, I’m sure it’ll be fine in the end. Well— at least I’m going to try my best. It’s wrong to get in the way when people love each other.“
Shikamaru hummed, staring at the sky. The clearing was quiet, despite how loud the city could be.
After a moment, Shikamaru asked, “And do you think they do?”
“What?” Naruto frowned.
“Love each other.”
Naruto shrugged. “I dunno. Probably.”
“I thought Sasuke was your best friend.”
“He is.”
“Then surely you’d know.”
Naruto frowned harder. “I don’t know. He’s never been in love before. At least not that I know of. So I don’t know what he’d even be like.”
“Wouldn’t he tell you?”
Naruto’s stomach twisted.
“He never actually said he loved her,” he picked absentmindedly at the grass. “He just... randomly told me they were dating one day.”
His voice sounded quieter now.
“But he has to, right? Why else would they be together?”
It was Shikamaru’s turn to shrug. “People date for all sorts of reasons.”
They sat in silence for a moment, thoughts rushing through Naruto’s mind, until Shikamaru finally asked, “What do you think it’s like, being in love?”
“Why are you interrogating me?” Naruto groaned. “You tell me.”
“Just humour me, will you?” Shikamaru said. “So, what do you think it’s like?”
Naruto bit the inside of his cheek, pondering.
“It’s not like I’ve ever been in love. At least, I don’t think I have, but…” he paused, searching for the right words. “I guess… When you love someone, you can’t stop thinking about them. You want to spend time with them, make them smile. And when they love you back…”
He smiled without realising it, his parents flashing through his mind.
“They’re meant to be the person who knows you better than anyone else. Someone who inspires you, makes you want to be a better person. Someone you want to share all your happiest and saddest moments with. They’re meant to be your person, y’know? Your confidant, your best friend—“
His words died in his throat, and silence settled between them. A bird called somewhere in the trees. Naruto stared blankly at the grass, his own words echoing back at him.
Oh.
Oh.
Well. It seemed pretty simple now, didn’t it?
“I’m… I’m in love with Sasuke?” Naruto whispered, mostly to himself, realisation hitting like a physical blow.
Shikamaru let out the longest sigh Naruto had ever heard.
“Finally.”
“But—“ Naruto sat upright, panic beginning to settle in. “But we…”
He wanted to argue his own realisation, but he couldn’t, not really.
Every horrible feeling he’d spent the last three months trying to explain suddenly fit together so perfectly it almost made him dizzy. He hadn’t been terrified of losing his best friend, not really.
He’d been watching the person he loved fall for someone else.
“… Holy shit.”
Shikamaru watched him carefully, genuine concern on his face. “Naruto.”
“I…”
There were too many thoughts. Too many emotions. His heart hammered so hard it hurt.
“I need…” he swallowed. “I need to go.”
“Are you okay?”
Naruto stood so quickly he nearly tripped over his own feet. “Yeah. I just…” he rubbed at his face. “I need to think.”
Shikamaru studied him for another moment before sighing. He wasn’t going to stop him. “Try not to do anything stupid.”
Naruto gave a weak laugh. “No promises.”
Then he was gone. Shikamaru watched him disappear down the trail. He gave it even odds before Naruto did something incredibly dramatic.
“What a drag,” he murmured to himself.
Shikamaru laid back on the grass once more. Above him, the clouds drifted lazily across the sky.
They offered no helpful advice.
[…]
There was a dark cloud hovering over the Uzumaki-Namikaze household. Naruto was full-blown sulking.
So, turns out he was hopelessly, catastrophically, head over heels in love with his best friend. Which is cool. Great. Fantastic, even.
It had taken him a few days to stop internally screaming every time he thought about it, but he was slowly making peace with the feelings blooming in his chest. The real problem was… now what?
As far as Naruto could tell, he had two options.
Option one: confess.
Absolutely not. Sasuke had a girlfriend, and Naruto had morals. His parents didn’t raise a homewrecker.
Would this count as home wrecking? It wasn’t like they were married or in a long-term relationship — Sasuke and Ino had only been dating for three months. Maybe he wouldn’t technically be a homewrecker.
He’d still be an asshole, though.
Which left option two: do absolutely nothing. Take these feelings to his grave. Sasuke didn’t need the burden of knowing. Naruto would always be his best friend first, and that meant supporting him, being there for him. Being happy if Sasuke was happy, even if it hurt.
That was the right thing to do.
The problem was that his stupid brain had apparently decided now was an excellent time to replay every suspicious interaction they’d ever had. The way Sasuke’s gaze sometimes lingered a second too long, the way he’d squeezed Naruto’s hand in the hospital, the way he’d looked irritated every time Gaara was around.
Naruto would lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to calm his foolish heart, which insisted on whispering that maybe, just maybe, Sasuke could love him too. Naruto had always been hopeful like that.
Still, reason would come back eventually and remind him that telling Sasuke now wouldn’t be fair. Not to him, or Ino. Naruto would simply have to live with it. Pretend nothing had changed.
But unfortunately, everything had changed.
Now that he’d finally admitted his feelings to himself, it felt as though some invisible damn had burst. Before, Naruto had been able to brush off the occasional strange thought. But now, every time he pictured Sasuke...
Naruto wanted to hold his hand again. Wanted to feel the warmth of his skin. Wanted to know what his lips tasted like. Wanted to hear what kind of noises he’d—
Nope. Naruto was not doing this. This whole thing was becoming a massive fucking problem.
So naturally, Naruto chose the healthiest coping mechanism available. Hide in his room and avoid everyone. And throw shuriken at a target he’d drawn with Menma’s crayons and taped to the wall opposite his bed.
If the badly drawn face happened to resemble Ino, that was entirely coincidental.
Naruto had been absentmindedly burying yet another shuriken into the paper when the doorknob rattled. His eyes widened and he jumped up, tearing the target off so quickly that half the shuriken came down with it.
The other half remained lodged firmly in the wall behind him, and Naruto stood in front of the damage innocently as Kushina stepped inside.
She looked at Naruto, then at the suspiciously crumpled piece of paper behind his back.
“Naruto,” she started. “What have I said about throwing shuriken in your bedroom?”
“I genuinely don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Kushina stared, and Naruto stared back. Eventually, she sighed, shaking her head.
“We’ll talk about that later.”
She sat down on the edge of his bed before patting the space beside her. Naruto frowned but obeyed.
“Do you want to tell me what’s been bothering you?” She asked softly.
“There’s nothing bothering me,” Naruto answered too quickly.
Kushina raised an eyebrow. “You’ll have to lie better than that.”
His shoulders sagged. “It’s nothing,” he whispered, his gaze dropping to his hands.
“Naru,” she gently lifted his chin until he met her eyes. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
Right. Naruto had never been able to keep secrets from his mother. Not because she was pushy, or invasive. Because talking to her had always felt easy, safe. He trusted her more than almost anyone.
“I think— I think I like someone,” he said, but immediately shook his head. “No, that’s not right,” he laughed weakly. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with someone.”
“Oh?” Kushina’s face lit up. “Really? But honey, that’s so exciting!”
Her smile was so bright Naruto almost felt guilty for what came next. When he didn’t answer, her smile faltered.
“Why is it making you so miserable?”
Naruto looked down.
“Because…” his voice came out quiet. “Because he’s already with someone else.”
The excitement disappeared from Kushina’s face, recognition settling in almost immediately. Naruto didn’t have to say a name. His mother knew him too well to not figure out who this was about.
“Oh, Naruto.”
That was all it took to make his eyes sting. Seriously? He was really going to cry now?
Naruto rubbed furiously at his face, but Kushina had already wrapped him in a hug. He buried his face against her shoulder.
“It’s so stupid,” he chocked out. “I didn’t even know, and now I do, and it’s already too late.”
Kushina simply held him, one hand rubbed slow circles across his back. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
Naruto clung to her a little tighter before finally pulling away several moments later. His eyes felt hot, and his nose probably looked ridiculous.
“Being in love sucks.”
Kushina smiled softly.
“It can. But it can also be the best feeling in the world.”
“It doesn’t feel like it,” he said bitterly.
“No, I imagine it doesn’t,” she brushed a strand of blond hair away from his forehead. “Have you thought about telling him?”
Naruto nodded. “I have. But—” he hesitated. “I don’t think I should. I don’t want to lose him.”
“Honey,” Kushina’s voice was gentle. “I don’t think loving someone is what makes you lose them.”
Naruto looked up.
“But pretending everything’s fine when it isn’t…” she smiled sadly. “That has a way of creating distance all on its own.”
Naruto thought about the past few weeks. Avoiding Sasuke. Avoiding everyone.
“And besides,” Kushina paused. “You don’t have to tell him because you expect something in return. You tell them because it matters. Because you’re being honest. What he chooses to do with that honesty is up to him.”
Naruto stared at her.
“Even if he doesn’t feel the same?”
Kushina nodded. “Even then. You deserve a change to be truthful, and he deserves the chance to know.”
Silence settled between then. After a moment, Naruto spoke.
“I think you’re right,” a tiny smile appeared on his face. “Thanks, Ma.”
Kushina smiled back before kissing his forehead.
“Whatever happens, you won’t go through it alone,” she stood. “I’ll leave you to think, but you know where to find me.”
Naruto nodded. “I know.”
She left the room, quietly closing the bedroom door behind her.
“About damn time,” the Nine-Tails whispered in her mind.
Kushina hummed in agreement.
“I still don’t like the fact it’s an Uchiha,” the demon sneered, “but whatever gets the brat to stop sulking.”
“Careful, Kurama,” Kushina replied in a teasing tone. “Or I’m going to start thinking you actually care about my son.”
Kurama growled.
“Keep dreaming,” the demon snarled, but Kushina had learned over the years to pick up on when his words had no bite. “Stupid humans. So dramatic.”
Kushina chuckled. Maybe it was a bit dramatic, but she hoped those two idiots figured things out soon.
Who knows how long she’d be able to keep this in. She couldn’t wait to tell Mikoto.
[…]
Look. Naruto had thought about this.
Like, really thought about it.
He’d listened to his mother’s advice and had even made a pros and cons list in his head about what could happen if he told Sasuke the truth.
His biggest pro? Maybe Sasuke could love him back. Maybe they could be together.
The biggest con? He could ruin the most important friendship he’d ever have.
There was a lot at stake. For him, at least.
He’d lain awake night after night thinking about it, but no matter how hard he tried, there didn’t seem to be an easy way out. The only way through it… was through it.
Eventually, Naruto decided he was going to lose his mind if he kept putting it off. He hadn’t slept properly in days. People were beginning to notice how distracted he’d become. And most of all, he missed Sasuke.
They hadn’t seen each other in what felt like forever. Naruto knew that was mostly his own fault, but he’d wanted to untangle the mess in his chest before facing him again. He even had a speech prepared.
He was going to go into Sasuke’s room, tell him they needed to talk, apologise for avoiding him these past few weeks, then explain everything.
He’d start by telling Sasuke that he’d always be his best friend. That he’d never meant for his feeling to become what they had, and that he expected nothing in return. Naruto just needed to say it out loud.
Then, hopefully, he could finally start moving on.
It was a good speech. At least, it sounded good in his head. It had even sounded pretty decent the few times he’d practiced it in front of the mirror.
The closer he got to the Uchiha compound, though, the tighter the knot in his stomach became. His palms were damp, and his heart refused to slow down. A part of him wanted to turn around, leave it for tomorrow. Or next week. Or preferably never. But he couldn’t keep avoiding this. Not anymore.
He climbed through Sasuke’s window like he always did. Sasuke was sitting at his desk, absentmindedly writing in a notebook. He looked up, his brow furrowing.
“Naruto?”
Naruto took one deep breath. It was now or never.
“Break up with her.”
Silence.
Naruto blinked. That wasn’t the speech. Sasuke stared, his pen froze halfway across the page.
“What?”
“I mean—“ Naruto swallowed. “You should break up with her.”
“Naruto—“
“I don’t think she’s right for you.”
“You should really stop talking—“
“No, because if I stop talking I’m going to lose my nerve,” Naruto took another breath. “This is killing me, Sasuke. I didn’t understand why before, I thought I was just jealous because she was taking my place but that’s not it. And fine, I admit, she’s pretty, and smart, and honestly a little terrifying, I get it, but she—“
His voice caught, and he swallowed.
“She doesn’t love you the way I do.”
Everything else disappeared, and it was just the two of them. Naruto forced himself to keep going.
“Because she can’t. No one can. I’m so in love with you it actually hurts. You’re my person. And I know you have a girlfriend, and I know this is unfair, and I’m probably the biggest asshole alive for saying this—“
He laughed weakly.
“But if you ever gave me a chance… I think I could be your person too.”
Naruto paused, his heart somewhere in his throat.
“So…” he rubbed the back of his neck. “Break up with her,” a beat passed. “Please?”
There it was. He said his piece. Laid his heart at Sasuke’s feet to do with as he pleased.
Sasuke had never looked more stunned. His cheeks were burning, his breathing had become uneven. Naruto was almost certain his own heart was loud enough for Sasuke to hear.
“Wow,” a third voice cut through the silence. “As far as confessions go, that wasn’t actually bad.”
Naruto froze, colour draining from his face. Slowly, very slowly, he turned around. Ino was sitting on Sasuke’s bed with a book resting on her lap. She’d apparently been there the entire time. He’d been so caught up in his anxiety that he hadn’t even thought to check whether Sasuke was alone in his room.
He felt his soul leave his body. Stupid bed. Stupid room. Stupid confession.
“But,” Ino continued thoughtfully, closing her book, “it does kinda make you an asshole. Or at least it would if this was a real relationship. Thankfully for you, it’s not.”
Naruto stared. Wait, what?
Ino stood, slinging her bag over one shoulder.
“Looks like my job here is done,” she walked over to Sasuke, and kissed his cheek. “Good luck with this one, Sas. You’re going to need it.”
Then she turned to Naruto.
“And sorry if I overdid it a little, Naru,” she smirked. “You were just so unbelievably clueless. No hard feelings?”
She didn’t wait for an answer. With one last wink, she disappeared out the door.
Neither of them moved, and Naruto blinked.
“What did she mean,” he looked back at Sasuke, “not a real relationship?”
Sasuke finally found his voice.
“What do you mean, you’re in love with me?”
The blush returned to Naruto’s face instantly.
“Yeah, about that—“
“Did you mean it?”
The question came out painfully quiet. Naruto looked up, and he saw it then — the hope in Sasuke’s eyes, mixed with fear. It finally clicked in his head, and gods, he really was an idiot, wasn’t he?
“Yeah,” his answer came without hesitation. “Of course I meant it. I love you so much, Sasuke. How could I not?”
Silence settled between them again. Sasuke shook his head slowly, the tiniest smile appearing.
“Usuratonkachi.”
Before Naruto could answer, Sasuke crossed the distance between them. His hands grabbed the front of Naruto’s shirt, then he kissed him.
Everything in Naruto’s brain stopped working. He froze for a second, but Sasuke’s lips were hot and insistent against his own. His instincts finally caught up, and he kissed back just as desperately, his hands finding Sasuke’s waist and pulling him even closer. Yes, yes, yes.
When they finally pulled apart, Naruto was smiling so hard it almost hurt.
“You love me too.”
It wasn’t a question anymore. Sasuke let out a quiet laugh.
“Nothing gets past you, does it?”
Naruto laughed too, the sound almost disbelieving. He pulled Sasuke back in, his heart soaring. He was nowhere done with kissing Sasuke, pulling him closer and closer, his hands sneaking under his shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin.
Sasuke kissed him back with just as much intensity, his hands finding their way up the back of Naruto’s neck and into his hair, pulling at the blond strands. Naruto gasped, and Sasuke seized the opportunity to deepen the kiss, chasing Naruto’s taste.
Naruto felt like he was drowning. But it didn’t matter, because he was drowning in Sasuke. When he pulled away, Sasuke whined.
“How long?” He asked, because he had to know.
Sasuke looked away. “…A while.”
“As in months? Years?”
“Does it matter?”
Naruto softened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I—“ Sasuke hesitated. “I couldn’t risk losing you.”
Naruto reached for his hand. “So instead you fake dated Ino?”
Sasuke groaned.
“It was her idea,” he admitted. “‘I’m tired of watching you pine,’” he muttered, clearly quoting her. “‘Either tell him or make him jealous.’”
Naruto barked out a laugh. “So she bullied you too?”
“You have no idea. But… it worked, so I probably have to thank her for it.”
Maybe it was irrational, and ultimately maybe Naruto had to thank her as well, but the jealously crawling under his skin still lingered. “It didn’t look fake at the festival.”
Sasuke grimaced. “That was just a last attempt at getting through your thick head.”
“So there really wasn’t anything between you?”
Sasuke looked at him like he’d grown a second head.
“Naruto,” he said. “I’m gay.”
Naruto blinked. “Oh.”
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
“Is that really surprising?”
“No,” Naruto scratched his cheek. “Not anymore. I probably should’ve figured the one out myself, but Gaara—“
Sasuke kissed him hard, swallowing whatever words Naruto was about to say. He tugged at Naruto’s bottom lip, biting it. Naruto groaned, heat pooling in his stomach and shooting up his spine.
“Don’t talk about him,” Sasuke snarled against his lips.
Naruto smirked. “Jealous, are we?”
“You’re one to talk.”
“Touché,” he laughed, then paused. “Wait — did anyone else know?”
Sasuke looked guilty instantly. “Uh, well— not really.”
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
“Not really is not no. Cmon, you tortured me for three months! I deserve to know if anyone else was involved.”
“You’ve tortured me for years, asshole,” Sasuke argued, but still looked away. “They weren’t involved, but… Mum and Itachi know. They kinda—,” he cleared his throat. “They cornered me after about a month, saying they wanted to make sure I wasn’t lying to myself.”
His ears turned bright red.
“It was horrifying.”
Naruto could picture the entire conversation. Mikoto gently trying to reassure Sasuke, Itachi somehow making the whole thing even more embarrassing just by existing.
Sasuke sighed dramatically. “It’s really not relevant. Can we go back to kissing now?”
Naruto laughed, light and breathless before diving back in. His brain was still catching up with everything, but it didn’t matter, not when he had Sasuke pressed against him, warm and willing. They stumbled back until Sasuke’s legs hit the edge of his bed, and Naruto didn’t hesitate to push him back.
He paused for a moment, taking in the sight of Sasuke flushed and dazed beneath him. Naruto didn’t have much experience in this department, but he felt dizzy with want.
Sasuke fisted his hand in Naruto’s shirt, pulling him down to lie on top of him, claiming his lips again in a bruising kiss. He lifted his hips against Naruto’s, both of them gasping as the feeling of each other’s hardness brushing together.
Naruto wanted, wanted, wanted.
“I don’t really know what I’m doing,” Naruto confessed.
Sasuke laughed breathlessly against his lips. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.”
Naruto smiled and leaned forward to kiss him again.
Yeah, whatever came next, they’d figure out. Together.
[…]
When Mikoto opened the door to Sasuke’s room the following morning, she wasn’t surprised to find Naruto in her son’s bed.
After all, the two of them had spent half their childhood falling asleep together after training or pretending to study. At some point, she simply accepted that wherever one of them was, the other usually wasn’t far behind.
She was surprised, however, to find Naruto’s arm wrapped securely around Sasuke’s waist. And the collection of bruises and unmistakable bite marks decorating her son’s neck and collarbone.
Well, that certainly answered the question of whether they’d worked things out.
She quietly took in the sight for another moment. They were deep asleep, Sasuke’s hand loosely curled over Naruto’s where it rested against his waist. They both looked impossibly peaceful.
Mikoto felt a smile tug at the corner of her lips. She gently pulled the door closed again, careful not to wake them.
Later, she’d give them a very stern lecture about being careful, locking the goddamn door and using protection. Preferably in that order.
For now, though, she could let them sleep.
She couldn’t wait to tell Kushina.
[…]
.
.
.
.
.
+ bonus
“Okay,” Ino murmured. “Don’t turn around, but Naruto and the Kazekage’s son are a few stalls ahead of us.”
Sasuke immediately started turning. “Have they seen us?”
“I said don’t turn, you idiot,” her grip on the front of his yukata tightened. “And I don’t think so,” she added, her blue eyes flicking past him for the briefest moment. “Not yet, at least.”
Sasuke let out a slow breath.
Truth be told, he had never intended for it to get this far. He was still trying to work out how they had even ended up here.
He remembered sitting at a small bar with Ino one evening. People thought they were an odd pair, and to be honest, Sasuke did spend most of his childhood avoiding her because of the ridiculous crush she had on him back then, but somewhere over the past year they’d become… friends.
An unlikely friendship, but one Sasuke was quietly grateful for.
Not that he would ever tell her that. She’d probably cringe. Being allergic to feelings was something they had in common.
Ino had become the first person Sasuke ever told about his… preferences. It may have been because he was still running on adrenaline after a near-death encounter when they were on a mission together, but that was a story for another day.
Whatever the reason, it had been a relief. Not because he was ashamed— he wasn’t. But carrying something alone for so many years was exhausting.
But he knew coming out would change things. Especially between him and Naruto. Rumours would spread through the village like wildfire, and people would assume he was in love with Naruto.
They’d be right.
Sasuke had been hopelessly in love with Naruto for so long that he honestly couldn’t remember when friendship had turned into something else. Somewhere along the way, Naruto had simply become… everything.
The idiot himself, unfortunately, had never seemed to notice.
Maybe that was for the best. Maybe Sasuke shouldn’t risk ruining what they already had. So he never said anything.
But after keeping those feelings buried for so many years, finally having someone to talk to about them had apparently opened the floodgates. He couldn’t even remember what he’d been rambling about that particular night.
In his defence, he had been a little drunk.
It was probably something stupid Naruto had said. Or the stupid way he’d looked during training with his stupid blond hair sticking up in every direction. Or his stupid blue eyes that had always made Sasuke feel like drowning.
Whatever it was, it finally seemed to push Ino over the edge.
“I can’t take this anymore,” she’d groaned.
Sasuke frowned. “What?”
“Sas,” she sighed dramatically, reaching across the table. “I love you.”
He blinked.
“What.”
“As a friend, obviously. But I’m tired of the pining.”
“I don’t pine,” he said, offended.
“Oh, babe, but you do.”
“Fuck off.”
“I’m serious,” she pointed at him with her drink. “This has to end. Either tell him how you feel,” she leaned forward, a mischievous smile slowly spreading across her face, “or make him jealous.”
“Make him jealous?” He frowned, genuinely puzzled. “How would I even do that?”
The smile only grew wider. Sasuke should have known then and there she was about to ruin his life.
So, that was how he’d ended up here.
It had never meant to last this long. Right after they’d started pretending to date, Naruto had been sent on a mission for a few of weeks, so they kept it going.
When Naruto finally came back, Sasuke had honestly been ready to call the whole thing off. Then he’d started noticing little things. Naruto was… annoyed. He tried to hide it, but he’d become shorter-tempered than usual. And he looked at Ino like he was quietly considering several different ways of disposing of her body. Which was ridiculous. Naruto got along with everyone.
For the first time in years, Sasuke allowed himself to hope. Maybe Naruto could actually return his feelings. What else could explain it?
But before that hope could grow very far, Naruto started avoiding him like the plague. That hurt, more than Sasuke cared to admit.
Naruto had always been everywhere — climbing through his bedroom window, stealing food off his plate, falling asleep against him after training. Invading every inch of Sasuke’s personal space as though it belonged to him. Half the village thought nothing of it, but Sasuke unfortunately thought about it far more than it was healthy.
When there was suddenly nothing, Sasuke couldn’t help but miss him. He would rather spend the rest of his life being Naruto’s best friend than lose him entirely.
“Your stupid plan isn’t working,” Sasuke muttered, forcing himself back to the present. “He spent the last three months avoiding me.”
“Because he’s jealous,” Ino replied as a matter of fact. “He just doesn’t understand it yet. We both know he’s clueless.”
“Or maybe,” Sasuke looked away, “he just doesn’t like me like that.”
He’d only truly believed otherwise once. Back at the hospital, when Naruto had held his hand. Their fingers had stayed intertwined long enough for Sasuke to think for one reckless, stupid second that maybe— just maybe.
Then Naruto disappeared again, and the next time Sasuke saw him, he had an arm slung around Gaara’s shoulders as if nothing had happened.
“Oh, believe me,” Ino scoffed. “That idiot absolutely likes you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a drawing of me taped to his wall with horns on it and uses it for shuriken practice.”
Sasuke actually laughed. “I’ll admit you’ve been a bitch to him lately.”
Ino tossed her hair dramatically.
“What can I say? He’s secretly lusting after my boyfriend.”
“Fake boyfriend.”
“Details, details.”
She casually looked over his shoulder again before straightening.
“Okay, Gaara’s looking.”
Sasuke tensed.
“What do we do?”
“Okay, okay…” Ino whispered rapidly. “I’m going to pretend you just said something hilarious.”
She burst into loud laughter, smacking his shoulder. Sasuke cringed.
“I’m serious, Ino,” he muttered through gritted teeth. “It’s not going to change anything. He’s seen us together plenty of times.”
She hummed thoughtfully. “I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.”
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
“What?”
She inhaled.
“Sasuke.”
“No.”
“I’m going to kiss you—“
“Absolutely not.”
“—and your gay ass is going to pretend to enjoy it.”
Sasuke stared at her in horror. His brain briefly considered faking his own death.
“You’re going to do what?”
Before he could escape, Ino grabbed the front of his yukata and crashed their mouths together. Sasuke froze so completely he might as well have turned to stone.
“Kiss me back, you idiot,” she hissed against his lips.
Every instinct in his body screamed wrong, wrong, wrong, but he reluctantly wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her back. He moved his lips, let her pull him closer. Even let her slip her tongue into his mouth.
If anything, the experience only confirmed he was as gay as the day was long.
Here he was, a beautiful girl pressed against him, and he couldn’t have been less interested if he’d tried.
When Ino finally, mercifully, pulled away, Sasuke resisted the urge to wipe his mouth.
“Did he see it?” He asked quietly.
“Oh, he saw it.”
His stomach dropped.
“And then he looked like someone stabbed him.”
Sasuke felt the blood drain from his face.
“… He’s gone,” she continued. “Although we do have a very confused Gaara looking at us.”
Dread settled heavily in Sasuke’s chest. “Ino, I swear, if this costs me my friendship with him—“
“You could betray the village, become a missing-nin and try to destroy Konoha,” she interrupted with a dismissive wave, “and that moron would still think the sun shines out of your ass.”
She smiled.
“Patience, Sas. Good things come to those who wait.”
The words made something flutter painfully inside his chest. He risked one glance over his shoulder. Gaara was indeed staring after them with the expression of someone trying very hard to solve a puzzle. Sasuke looked away before the other could read the truth on his face.
Ino linked their arms together again.
“Oh, and for the record,” she grinned. “You’re a good kisser.”
Sasuke groaned. “Please don’t.”
“Hey, if this doesn’t work, maybe you should date Gaara instead? He’s cute.”
“I’d rather die.”
She laughed, tugging him towards the opposite end of the festival. Sasuke followed, though every instinct wanted to run after Naruto instead. Watch the fireworks together. Walk him home. Pretend none of this had ever happened.
He looked once more towards the crowds where Naruto had disappeared. Just this once, he thought, let Ino be right.
If this didn’t work… He was telling Naruto, consequences be damned.
Then he was probably going to kill Ino.