Chapter 45

Temari was just finished with her shower and coming out of her room when she saw Naruto, sitting in the living room. He saw her and gave a small smile. "Hey."

"Hey. Was your day interesting?"

Naruto made a face like he was considering. "You could say that. Listen, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Surprise flashed over Temari's face. "Oh?"

Over the next half an hour, Naruto explained everything about what was written in his father's journal. Temari was patient through all of it, and when Naruto was finished, she took a minute to gather her thoughts. "So let me get this straight. Your father figured out a way to enhance the human body without any ramifications?"

Naruto nodded.

"I am glad that you didn't keep this as a secret from me, Naruto. But what am I supposed to do with this information?"

Naruto leaned back, shrugging. "Keeping it a secret would be good. Also, would you consider doing it?"

Temari raised her eyebrows in shock and disbelief. "What?!"

Naruto looked a bit uncomfortable, but made eye contact nonetheless. "I talked it out with ero-sennin and baa-chan, Temari. They have said that the operation is perfectly safe. My father and my mom made sure that all the flaws were corrected before dad underwent the procedure.

"I decided to do this because…I wanted to be as strong as possible so, I could protect what was close to me. If this is one of the ways, then I will do it."

Temari's shock had still yet to recede. "Naruto…..I…don't know what to say."

Naruto reached out and held one of Temari's hands. "Temari, one of the reason shinobi strive to get stronger is so they can endure and therefore, protect. People don't care about the means of getting stronger if you are doing the right thing with the power you get. My father left a special note for me in this, saying that he hoped with how strong he will get from this, he would be able to protect me and my mom."

Temari looked unsure. "Naruto, I don't know about this….."

"Of course, I won't force you to undergo. It is completely your choice. I just wanted to make you see the benefits of this," Naruto said, getting up.

Temari got up with him. "Can I get some time to think about this?"

Naruto smiled. "Take all the time you need. If you want some more details about this, just come into my study. I have to key you in and show you the password, so come with me. You might have to drag me out in the future if I get too engrossed," he added, making her smirk.

After about twenty minutes, Naruto had keyed in Temari's chakra signature to his study. He went in and took out his journal, putting it on the table and sliding it to her. "It's best if you read it inside here."

She nodded and stood up, sliding it back to him. "I'll read it whenever I can. In the meantime," she smiled a bit shyly, "would you like to have some dinner?"

Naruto rose an eyebrow. "You can cook?"

She nodded, shuffling her feet. "Kankuro always told me he liked my cooking, and I have always found it very soothing."

Naruto was a bit wary, but thought he should show a bit of trust in his soon to be wife. "Alright. Do you want some kitchen staff, though? My clones are awesome."

Temari was already walking away, though. "No thanks!"

Turns out, Temari was a very good cook. Naruto was struggling to keep his table manners. "This is really good," he said between bites.

Temari grinned as she ate her own food. "Thank you! It's good to know that all that time spent in the kitchen seeing the servants cook wasn't a waste of time."

Naruto finished his food quickly and put down his sticks, looking at Temari with an expression of utmost seriousness. "I want to propose something."

Temari was caught off guard by the sudden change in the atmosphere. "W-What?"

"Would you please cook at least three days of the week?"

That statement did not deserve the amount of seriousness Naruto was giving it, and so Temari broke into peals of laughter. "Oh, Naruto," she said once the laughter had subsided, "I'll cook for you anytime you want."

Naruto backpaddled a little. "No, it's just that, I don't want to put this as a duty or a burden on you."

Temari stood up and walked over to Naruto. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "It's not a burden at all, sweetie. Especially if I like doing it."

XXXXXXX

Two days passed like a breeze and soon it was the day of his wedding. And like any other man, he was incredibly nervous. Anko was standing beside him, adjusting his robes and fussing over his makeup, which he had worn for the first time in his life. Also, Anko's fussing was incredibly out of character for her, but somehow she made it look very natural.

Very motherly.

"Seriously, you should just relax, or you'll ruin your makeup. Think of it as another mission," she lightly chastised him.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Maybe I'll get to say it to you on your wedding day."

He received a light slap on his arm for that. Tsunade had been informed of Naruto's decision of asking Iruka and Anko to attend his wedding, and she was a bit confused since she wasn't aware of their history. However, that was quickly remedied after a brief history lesson.

(Now, you readers would think that Naruto should have asked Jiraiya to be there as his father, but Naruto acknowledged Iruka close to him, before Jiraiya. For reference, go to chapter 5.)

The door to his room was knocked. "You ready in there, Naruto?"

Naruto replied back, "Come in, and almost."

The door opened and Iruka stepped in, dressed in formal robes as well. "Wow, you look….really good."

Naruto gave a tight smile. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei."

It was easy for Iruka to see how nervous Naruto was, knowing him for many years now. He leaned against the door frame. "If it's Anko who's making you nervous, I don't fault you at all."

Anko rolled her eyes. "Please, you are more nervous around me than him. You honestly stutter whenever I try to talk to you."

True to that statement, Iruka sputtered, trying to come up with a reply. Naruto took this chance to rib him some more. "We all know what it means when a boy or a man stutters in front of a girl or a woman, don't we, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka had a light blush on his face now, while Anko gave a mock surprised expression. "Iruka likes me? You don't say!"

Naruto smirked, "Now we know who will marry who in the future."

He winced at the slap to the back of his head. "How about you concentrate on what's going to happen tonight, smartass?"

Naruto nodded as he straightened up. Kurama spoke to him inside.

'Maybe you should try some of that liquid courage the woman was suggesting.'

'I already have to drink in the ceremony, Kurama. Besides, with you inside me, I doubt it will have any effect.'

'True that. Still, you should calm down. If it helps you any, your mate is equally nervous.'

Naruto frowned suspiciously at that. 'How would you know that?'

'One of my abilities is I can sense negative emotions. Just remember, you have no reason to be nervous when you have someone like me with you.'

Naruto's sarcasm was on point. 'Thanks, Kurama. I'm so confident now because of your belief in yourself.'

'Good, then let's go.'

It really annoyed Naruto that Kurama could sometimes be blind to his sarcasm. Still, he was right. It was time.

"Right," he said, taking a moment to steel himself. "It's show time."

XXXXXXX

The shrine was full of people when he entered it. The fact that he would have to stand in front of so many people during his ceremony unnerved him a bit, but then Kurama's filtered, yang chakra entered his system and he immediately felt calm. Sending a silent thank you to his friend, he scanned the crowd.

All of his friends were there with their parents, and he gave a small smile on seeing team 7, with Kakashi, standing at the back. Kakashi was standing, in a formal jacket and like he usually did, but this time, the eye smile felt genuine, and that made Naruto happy on the inside. Sakura was energetically waving at him, dressed in a pretty red dress and Sasuke…..

Sasuke was dressed exceptionally and immaculately, he was dressed to impress with his immaculate tux, hair looking combed for once in his life. Naruto could see that Ino was already undressing him with her eyes, and girls of the families that were invited looked torn between looking at him and Sasuke. Sasuke caught his eye and gave a small smirk, raising a glass to him in silent congratulations.

Naruto scoffed, but it warmed him on the inside that Sasuke attended his wedding. If he were allowed to drink right now, he would have raised it back at him. They shared a bond that Naruto could not describe; they were not friends, but at the same time, they were something beyond that. Sure, sometimes he hated the way he acted, but he would hate it if they were to stand on opposite sides.

He let his eyes roamed, purposely not catching the eye of several important figures like clan heads and daimyos alike. He caught Hinata's eyes and had to hide a wince.

She looked very beautiful, but he could see that she was trying really hard not to cry. It must have broken her heart, he thought, because she genuinely seemed to love him, but never got a chance because he loved someone else.

Maybe if she had approached him all those years ago, he would not be standing here right now. Perhaps if Hiashi had brought Neji, he might have been able to console her.

He found Jiraiya, who standing next to Kakashi now, and caught his eye. The man gave a big grin that was simply filled with pride and happiness. Naruto wished he could return the grin, but he was under close scrutiny right now. He settled for a nod and a small smile, but he would hug the death out of the man when the ceremony was over.

He looked to his right and saw jiji on the altar, giving him a wink of assurance. Naruto internally smiled at how he had come to officiate the wedding.

Tsunade should have been standing on the altar because she was the Hokage, but that made no sense to Naruto. He had jokingly commented to her that they should get the Sandaime to officiate, for the man really looked the part of the priest as well.

So it shocked him when Tsunade briefly considered the idea and agreed, saying that sensei would be better at those things.

The music began, and Naruto turned his head, only for his breath to get caught in his throat. Later he would say it was Temari's fault, because it totally was.

She looked absolutely breathtaking in her wedding kimono. The dress fit her figure perfectly, and the makeup was done expertly. Her hair was done beautifully into a bun, a single thick band styled over her right eye. Her lips never looked more delicious before. The blush on her face, coupled with that small grin of anticipation under her veil, made Naruto want to kiss her all over. He smiled back at her, and he could care less if the guests thought that it was wrong of his eyes to be filled with love. Kankuro was escorting his sister, since their father was, you know, dead. And Naruto had to admit, the guy would catch the attention of many girls, if he just didn't apply his "war paint."

Temari stopped beside him, and after Naruto lifted the veil off her ,they both held each other's hands. Jiji took this as a signal to begin the ceremony. Naruto and Temari simply stared in each other's eyes, conveying everything and nothing at the same time.

Before he knew, it was time for them to drink the traditional sake. Naruto reached forward to take a cup, knowing that once this was done with, he and Temari would be married for life. Together, forever.

He gently held out the cup for her to drink from, with her doing the same to him. The saké burned his throat a little, and Naruto couldn't see why people liked this stuff. It was tolerable at best.

Once they each had drank three cups, he took both of their cups and placed them back on the tray. It was time to say something, and he had prepared nothing.

"Temari," he hesitated a bit, getting himself together, "Our marriage was supposed to be one of duty. Duty towards our villages. However, we know that it would be so much more than that, for the both of us. We were fortunate to receive a sapling of love, which we both nurtured over the last week. Honestly, I am at a loss of words to express the joy that I'm feeling right now, and it's all because of you."

He could see Temari struggling to hold back her tears. 'Hang in there just a bit longer, hime.'

He continued, this time with the more traditional vow. "I, Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, hereby take you as my wife. I will love you, and cherish you, forever, until death do us apart. May our joining be blessed by Kami-sama and the union of our people."

Temari followed happily with her own vow, and the rush of emotions coursing caused him to momentarily forget what was next. He turned towards jiji and asked with a smile plastered on his face, hiding his panic.

"What is next?"

Jiji mouthed back, "The rings."

Temari felt panic rising in her chest when Naruto's eyes widened in panic, his face blanking out. The he frowned, and to the surprise of the people present, began patting his robes as if searching for the rings. He stopped in the middle of patting his chest, and smiled slyly when he looked at her, looking as if he found it.

Temari covered her confusion with a small laugh. "What?"

To the great surprise of everyone present, Naruto reached behind her right ear with his hand and when he pulled back, he held a box. The crowd gasped at that, because first of all, that was not supposed to happen in an event as big as this. This was supposed to be a wedding strictly adhering to all the proper procedures and protocols.

Yeah, I can say on behalf on Naruto, the people thinking the above could go and chuck themselves into a volcano.

This was Naruto's wedding, and he wanted to make it as memorable as possible.

Second, the first thought that entered into all the shinobis' gathered heads, and a few civilians, was that Naruto used a storage seal. But there was no smoke that followed the unsealing of the ring, so what was that?

While some of the people were thinking Naruto just hid the box in his sleeves, Naruto had just tweaked the storage seal a little so that the smoke that was supposed to be released along with the object was absorbed into another part of the seal.

Naruto opened the box, revealing a beautiful silver ring with a diamond on top. This was the ring his mother had given to him. All though it was used by his father to propose his mother, Naruto wanted to give his own ring to Temari, so he decided that his mother's ring would be given to Temari on their wedding day.

He gently held her hand and slid her ring finger through the ring. His mother's fingers were fuller than Temari's, so Naruto had integrated a seal into the band so it would automatically fit to Temari.

Temari looked up curiously. "I presume you have brought your ring as well?"

Naruto smiled and nodded. He reached into his left sleeve and unsealed the ring. "I knew that you wouldn't have any pockets, and even I don't, but it might be easier for me to carry."

He held out the box for her. She took it and opened it to find the exact same ring as hers. She smiled, and held his hand as she slipped his finger through the ring.

Hiruzen smiled, holding back tears of joy. This was a very emotional moment for him, and a very fortunate one as well. Not many shinobi live until his age, and much less live long enough to see their children or grandchildren married. He counted himself as extremely lucky.

"Now that the rings have been exchanged, I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no sato, hereby declare Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto and Sabaku no Temari as husband and wife. May Kami-sama bless your union, and may your love stand strong forever. You may now, kiss the bride."

Naruto smiled and caught Temari's lips in a soft, but deep, loving lip-lock. The whole crowd stood up, clapping wildly. Naruto broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers, both sporting matching blushes on their faces.

They turned towards the crowd and smiled brightly. Naruto saw each one of his friends, looking more happy than he had ever seen. Kiba was cheering him wildly, Shino for once, had a genuine smile on his face that was actually visible. Hinata had tears going down her face, but she looked happy as she gazed at them.

Naruto caught Kakashi just as the man wiped a tear that had slipped from his eye. Sakura's eyes were shining with joy, and Sasuke looked like a completely different person with a soft, but genuine smile on his face as he clapped for the newly wed.

Shikamaru was smiling while clapping softly, but Chouji was outright crying. Ino was just like Sakura, but she was cheering with a bit more energy. Their parents' gazes were melancholic, as if remembering a similar time of their own lives.

Jiraiya looked like he was the proudest man in the entire world. The smile on his face told Naruto just how much the man loved him.

Now that the wedding was over, it was time for the reception, which was being held at the back of their home. Temari hooked her arm with his and they both walked back together.

XXXXXXX

As soon as they were out of the public's sights, Naruto flashed the both of them to their home. They had to change clothes fast, for the guests would be arriving in less than ten minutes.

They managed to change clothes in time, with Naruto setting for a tux of his own while Temari switched for a more comfortable attire.

The guests arrived and as the host, it was his duty to attend to them. Since there were many important political figures from both Konoha and Suna, Naruto and Temari had to attend to almost all of them. It was extremely boring for the both of them, listening to the pointless drivel of old men.

Finally, Naruto had some time to himself when some of Temari's friends from Suna wanted to talk to her, he walked straight to Jiraiya and hugged the man with all his might, catching him by surprise.

Jiraiya's eyes bugged out as all the breath left his body when his godson squeezed it out of him, but he was able to gather himself and return the hug. "Thank you for making this the best day of my life, brat," he whispered in Naruto's ear.

"You're welcome, pervert."

They both laughed and separated. Jiraiya inspected him and whistled. "Damn, you clean up pretty nice in such short time!"

Naruto shrugged modestly. "Dad's jutsu is just so awesome, you know."

Jiraiya nodded, "I know kid, I know."

They both talked a little more, after which Naruto left to find his team. He found them, or more accurately, just Sakura and Kakashi. They both were eating food when Naruto walked up to them.

Sakura's eyes widened and she thrust her plate into an indignant Kakashi's hands as she hugged him tightly. "That was so beautiful, Naruto! You and Temari looked extremely dashing and gorgeous!"

Naruto chuckled as he returned her hug. "Glad to know I could rock that kimono as well."

Sakura continued, "You are the first one out of the rookies to get married, you know! How does it feel?"

Naruto laughed and put his hands into his pockets. "It really isn't different from what I feel all the time."

Sakura quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Naruto spread out his arms. "Like I'm ahead of everybody who is our age."

Sakura huffed as she lightly slapped his arm. Naruto turned to Kakashi and smirked. "Nice to see you too, Kakashi."

Giving an eye smile, Kakashi commented in his cheery tone. "You know Naruto, you have too little confidence in me."

"Can you blame me?"

Kakashi actually appeared to think about it. "Perhaps not. Still, you were excellent tonight. I'm proud that you were my team's member, Naruto."

Naruto smiled in gratitude, then frowned. "Where's Sasuke?"

Sakura took back her plate from Kakashi. "I think he's heading back home."

But Naruto was already spreading out his senses, trying to sense the familiar Uchiha signature. He found it heading towards the exit. He frowned, before making his way to him.

XXXXXXX

Sasuke had to admit, the wedding ceremony was very well organized. Seeing Naruto look so happy with Temari made him think back to the fond memories he had of his own family.

He had gone to the reception, but only to say goodbye to Naruto and head back home for some late night training, before turning in. But seeing him talking to so many political figure heads, Sasuke decided it was best if he ate and left. He doubted Naruto would be able to free himself for a while.

He ate separately from Sakura and Kakashi, and after he was finished, he made his way to the exit. Just as he was about to go, a familiar voice behind him spoke out.

"Leaving without a goodbye? I thought clan heirs had better manners than that."

He frowned and turned around to see Naruto, hands in pocket and a smile on his face. "You were busy."

Naruto sighed as if it truly pained him. "Trust me, it's not fun. I wouldn't have talked to them at all if Temari wasn't there."

Sasuke scoffed. "Not even an hour and already whipped by your wife."

"I like to think it as my duty as the clan head."

Naruto was now standing right in front of Sasuke. Curiously, he held out his hand. "Thanks for coming tonight."

Sasuke rose an eyebrow, but did not shake his hand. Naruto chuckled, retracting his hand back. "You really know how to let people down."

He continued. "Still, it's nice to see that you've improved from being the anti-social, emo douchebag of team 7. You're still emo, though."

Sasuke smirked. "And you're still a naïve idiot who thinks we're friends."

Naruto shook his head. "I never said that."

Sasuke shrugged. "Anyways, I just wanted to say goodbye. I'll be heading back now. Good luck on your marriage."

As he was walking away, Naruto called out in a sly tone. "Want me to send a clone with you as an escort? It is dark out, after all."

Sasuke turned back just enough to give a comeback. "I'd like to escort you off a cliff sometime."

Naruto snorted. "You can do better than that."

Obviously, Sasuke was cranky to deal with him any longer. "Goodbye, Naruto."

Naruto watched Sasuke till he was out of his sight. As warmed as he was that Sasuke was opening up, ever so slowly, he couldn't shake off the bad feeling that suddenly seemed to have gripped him. For some reason, watching Sasuke walk away gave him a bad feeling.

He shook his head. He was overthinking this. He walked back to the party, and saw that most of the guests were preparing to leave. Naruto couldn't blame them, it was half past eleven. He walked over to his wife, who was talking with Gaara and Kankuro. She spotted him coming and frowned. "Where were you?"

Naruto pointed a thumb behind him. "I was meeting up with my old team. Went to say goodbye to Sasuke after that. I'm kind of surprised he decided to attend our wedding."

Temari tilted her head. "Isn't he the one who you are always calling a douchebag?"

Naruto nodded, ignoring Kankuro's snort. "One and the same."

Gaara then decided to speak up. "We will get going as well. Our stay for tonight is reserved somewhere else. Take care of my sister, Naruto."

Naruto clapped him on his shoulder, giving him a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I will."

After bidding them goodnight, Gaara and Kankuro left. A handful of guests, who were waiting to say goodbye to Naruto, were left. Naruto and Temari bid them good night as well, and when everyone was gone, both of them gave a tired sigh and plopped down on the chairs in the living room.

"Fake smiling all night is really hurting my cheeks," Naruto groaned.

"True that." She took her feet out of the heels, groaning in relief. "That's much better."

Naruto looked outside, and winced at how much clean-up was required. "I'll have my clones clean that up tomorrow. For now, I think it's best if we turn in."

Temari lifted her head to give him a smirk. "You just can't wait, can you?"

Naruto smirked back. "I really don't think you can blame me."

Temari rested her head back. "I'm not getting up on my own."

Naruto quietly snorted as Temari rested on the chair. There was one thing left to do. He got up and walked down to the basement. He walked by the simulation room, towards the stone that maintained the security seals around the house. He cut his thumb and swiped the blood on his right hand, and flashed through a set of seals. He then slammed his palm upon the stone, watching as the seal flashed brightly once, signaling that the security was once again activated. He then walked back up, smiling softly on seeing Temari still on the chair with her eyes closed. He walked quietly towards her, and lifted her heels, taking them to the shoe rack by the door. He removed his own shoes as well, making it easier for him to remain quiet.

An involuntary squeal left her mouth when she was suddenly lifted up, bridal style. Her hands instinctively wrapped around Naruto's neck, who was grinning wickedly.

"This is not the place to fall asleep, nor the time. There is still one thing left for us to do!"

Temari sighed as she shuffled in his arms to be a bit more comfortable. "I am almost jealous of how much energy you always seem to have."

"It works in your favor tonight. Now let's go, I need to ravish my wife!"

Temari's giggles sounded through the house, before the door to the master bedroom was shut.

XXXXXXX

Sasuke made it back to his compound after twenty five minutes of walking. It was, like every moment of every day, lifeless. As he passed by an abandoned store, he stopped.

Something felt…..out of place.

He jumped onto the roof top of the store, coming face to face with a group of four. Three males and a female, all in varying, but similar battle attire. Most notable feature of the attire, that Sasuke definitely remembered seeing before, was the thick, purple rope tied behind them in a bow. What was gross, however, was the pale, grey-haired boy with dark blue lipstick (Why would anyone want to wear that?!) and a second head behind him and the dark, tan boy with three sets of arms.

'Orochimaru's people, huh? They definitely have the skill to gross people out down, I'll give them that.'

"Who are you guys?" He asked in a tone that was just shy of sounding bored.

The tan boy smirked and came at him, but Sasuke jumped over him easily, even in his tux. The two headed guy appeared behind him to try and punch Sasuke, but Sasuke kicked back sharply, sending the guy crashing into a wall. Getting behind his first opponent, Sasuke steadied himself to deal with the big-boned guy coming to land a solid punch. He just flipped him and the tanned boy, the two bodies flying towards the other two. They all crash into each other, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Sasuke scoffed and turned around to see the four looking completely unruffled, but on another building. He brushed imaginary dust off his shoulder. "Is that the best you can do?"

The two headed guy sneered at him. "Quit your babbling, you weakling. Come over here so I can slap the bitch out of you!"

Sasuke adopted a mock thinking pose. "I know that pedophile talk. Orochimaru sent you guys, right? Pale as toothpaste, goes after young boys, and gives a totally fake laugh?"

The guy snarled and took a step forward, but was stopped by the redhead. "We didn't come here to test him. Orochimaru-sama has already done that."

The guy just snorted in disgust. "What does Orochimaru-sama need this weak guy for? Regardless….you will never be strong if you stay at Konoha. Mediocre at best, but you will never be able to match your blonde friend."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but waited for them to say more. The redhead continued, while looking at him as if he was barely worth her time. "Orochimaru-sama said that you were obsessed with killing your brother. He would be so surprised to be wrong.

"I thought that you would be training your ass off to get stronger, but here you are, attending social functions like weddings," she spat the word as if it were a curse, "content to let your blonde friend be ahead of you while you remain behind."

"It's almost as if you have forgotten what you train for."

Those words struck Sasuke like thunder. He showed no outward reaction, but he was shaken up on the inside. The redhead continued, "Come with us. If you do, Orochimaru-sama will give you power!"

Sasuke was pretty sure that Naruto would have made a pedophile joke, if he were here. But he was not, and Sasuke's mind focused on a single question: Had he really gotten so soft, that he had lost the sight of his life goal?

Then again, he wasn't satisfied with how he was being trained. Kakashi didn't seem to care much most of the time. If Orochimaru was offering to train him, should he refuse or not?

His mind flashed back to the talk he had with Naruto in the hospital room. If he left the village, a kill-on-sight order would be placed on his head, and it would most likely be Naruto who would pursue him. Still, was he ready to leave everything behind?

The two headed guy interrupted his thought process. "We know that the curse mark has been bothering you, even if it is sealed." That surprised Sasuke, though he kept a tight rein on his facial muscles. "The more you hold it back, the more it will drive you insane. If you come with us, Orochimaru-sama will teach you to control it, harness that power."

The offer was looking worth taking every second that asshole spoke. Sasuke was still a bit unsure though. Before he could think more, the redhead spoke up again. "You either choose to come with us to Orochimaru-sama, the path of power, or you choose to remain in the village that is holding you back on purpose? Holding you back from achieving your goal….Uchiha Itachi."

And just like that, they were gone.

Sasuke stood on the roof, finally getting some time to think. He could leave the village, but one person came to the forefront of his mind.

Naruto.

He was perhaps the only guy in the whole village that Sasuke could hold a decent conversation with. Even though Sasuke never openly admitted it, he considered Naruto a friend. Perhaps his only friend in the entire village. Not only that, but Naruto had this….ability, to make Sasuke feel bad about some of his decisions. It was clear even on the D-ranks they had been on.

He felt he could talk to him more about things than he ever could with any other person, even if he never did that. Naruto put him at ease somewhat, but at the same time, Sasuke felt jealous of him. Naruto was everything Sasuke was not. The most important of that being, Naruto was powerful.

Sasuke was not.

Sasuke was aware that by the time he reached to the level where Naruto was right now, Naruto would have jumped to a whole new level. He was growing stronger too fast, and Sasuke was afraid that he all he would be doing his entire life was play catch up with him.

He needed to get stronger, faster than what he was getting in Konoha. And the redhead must have been right about the village holding him back on purpose. After what happened with Itachi, they would keep a more careful watch on him. Kakashi was never to inclined to train him unless it was a good day, which was very rare.

His bonds would only hold him back.

He would never be able to kill Itachi at the rate he was getting stronger.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he started walking back to his house. But his walk was different this time.

It held a purpose.

'Naruto….I'm sorry.'