[Later that night—as he lays cushioned in the inn bed provided by a grateful Alicia—Naruto will dredge up the memory of Sasuke’s expression and the old, quiet grief cracking it wide open. He’ll think next of the warm embrace Sakura had pulled him into, the circle of her powerful arms cradling him as if he were no more than a hurting child. And finally, his mother’s parting words over a year ago now. “I love you.” A stab of restless regret will lance through Naruto then. Is he doing enough to help support his best friend? The wounds inflicted on Sasuke’s heart must run so deep. When was the last time he was embraced? The last time he felt safe? The last time he allowed himself to accept those three precious words without the fear of losing them? Naruto, a victim of toxic masculinity within ruthless shinobi culture, doesn’t even stop to consider that maybe he could offer such things to Sasuke. Plagued by concern, he won’t sleep well. But when at last he drifts off, it’ll be to soft, impossible dreams.
In the present, Naruto grins with roguish humor at the observation. Though he privately suspects that Sasuke would be a deadly opponent in any condition, he doesn’t correct his best friend; the Uchiha hardly needs his ego stroked. Falling back on the competitive nature of their rivalry is familiar territory, anyway—making it easier for them both to shift away from the uncomfortable moment of vulnerability.]
C’mon. I’ll explain on the way.
[Together, the two shinobi dash past the outskirts of the city, heading to the location that Naruto previously saw on a map. Upon arrival, the blond falls uncharacteristically silent, gaze wandering the crumbling ruins in somber reflection. The Barrens is aptly named, it seems. He’s reminded of the time Shima transported him from Mount Myōboku to the decimated remains of Konohagakure. There’s half a second where his instinct is to tell Sasuke about that experience—only for Naruto to freeze, struck by a sudden thought. What happened to the Uchiha compound during the village’s reconstruction? Somehow, he doubts it was rebuilt. The jinchūriki glances away, ashamed that he hadn’t considered this sooner.
Don’t worry, Sasuke. I’ll be the home you can come back to.
Eventually, he finds his voice.]
Keep an eye out for…gara…uh, “garagorou…” [This is why we don’t skim information on the notice board, Naruto. Read more thoroughly! Maybe then you’d have a better grasp of the word “gargoyle.”] Ugh! The Gaara-monsters!
no subject
In the present, Naruto grins with roguish humor at the observation. Though he privately suspects that Sasuke would be a deadly opponent in any condition, he doesn’t correct his best friend; the Uchiha hardly needs his ego stroked. Falling back on the competitive nature of their rivalry is familiar territory, anyway—making it easier for them both to shift away from the uncomfortable moment of vulnerability.]
C’mon. I’ll explain on the way.
[Together, the two shinobi dash past the outskirts of the city, heading to the location that Naruto previously saw on a map. Upon arrival, the blond falls uncharacteristically silent, gaze wandering the crumbling ruins in somber reflection. The Barrens is aptly named, it seems. He’s reminded of the time Shima transported him from Mount Myōboku to the decimated remains of Konohagakure. There’s half a second where his instinct is to tell Sasuke about that experience—only for Naruto to freeze, struck by a sudden thought. What happened to the Uchiha compound during the village’s reconstruction? Somehow, he doubts it was rebuilt. The jinchūriki glances away, ashamed that he hadn’t considered this sooner.
Don’t worry, Sasuke. I’ll be the home you can come back to.
Eventually, he finds his voice.]
Keep an eye out for…gara…uh, “garagorou…” [This is why we don’t skim information on the notice board, Naruto. Read more thoroughly! Maybe then you’d have a better grasp of the word “gargoyle.”] Ugh! The Gaara-monsters!
[Sorry, Gaara.]