Chapter Text
Reunion
Dust was covering the sky and the sun as it slowly fell. This was the result of a battle that had just ended. A fight between two of the most powerful ninjas of their generation. Both fighters were currently lying next to each other, struggling to breathe. Both had lost an arm in their fight, which had been so violent they were injured, and their faces were covered in blood. The surroundings had been destroyed; all that was left were ruins, broken rocks, and a redrawn river.
The two statues that stood on either side of the river, watching over the valley for centuries, have been completely destroyed. The man on the right with a missing left arm below the elbow, a swollen face, and blood still gushing from his nose, which seemed to have broken his right eye, is completely closed. His head slowly turned to the left. He stared at the man he had fought, the one who had always pursued him, never giving up on him even when everyone else had. Despite his repeated attempts to end his life, this man always followed him, refusing to abandon him to his own darkness. He had never understood, and he didn't understand now, but he had to admit, he was grateful. It was necessary for him to understand what motivated him. The other ninja appeared to feel his gaze as his head turned towards him. His hair was reddened with blood, his face was swollen, and both of his eyes were barely open. It was difficult for him to see the beautiful color behind his eyelids. The blonde ninja gave a small smile despite having split lips. Upon looking at his counterpart, it was also the right arm that was missing, it had also been severed below the elbow. In their last battle against each other, Sasuke knew he had given his all and lost.
"Sasuke, you're coming with me back to the village, right?"
Asked Naruto.
"Why Naruto? Why did you go so far for me? Why did you not give up like the others?"
Instead of answering the question, Sasuke replied. The question was very significant to him.
"You are my best friend, and I will never give up on you. That's my Nindo."
With a small smile, Naruto replied.
Their breath returned slowly to normal as they fell back into silence.
"You won; I'm coming back to the village with you," Sasuke said still staring at the blonde. It made him smile and close his eyes.
Meanwhile, they heard running footsteps approaching them at high speed.
"Naruto! Sasuke!"
As Sakura's voice pierced the stillness echoed off the walls around them, she landed near them without making a sound. She recoiled briefly when she saw the extent of the damage the two men had caused each other. However, she quickly recovered, moved between them, and began jutsu on Naruto's missing arm. He still had his eyes closed and appeared unconscious.
"Sakura."
She turned her head toward him when she heard Sasuke's voice.
He said without lowering his eyes, "I'm really sorry.".
With watery eyes, she met his gaze and answered him, but her voice threatened to abandon her.
"I hope so, idiot," she replied, turning her hands to her arm to try and minimize the damage. This seemed to satisfy the ninja as he too fell into unconsciousness.
Moments later, Kakashi approached, slowed down by the injuries he received earlier in their fight with Kaguya. He watched as the medic-nin took care of his two former students. A feeling of peace came over him.
"Sakura. He has succeeded. Naruto has succeeded where all of us failed, he's finally going to bring Sasuke back to Konoha."
The copy ninja placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. She smiled and continued to take care of his two idiots.
Though they did not know what the future held for them, they hoped that the two ninjas would be part of it.
As soon as Naruto awoke, he noticed an antiseptic odor, then the lack of pain. When he opened his eyes, he immediately shut them again. His eyes were blinded by the brightness of the room. As he tried to remember the last hours, everything came back to him. The battle with Kaguya Tsutsuki, the cancellation of the eternal Tsukuyomi with the help of Sasuke, and their confrontation at the Valley of the End. Clearly he had won. Even Sasuke admitted it. Uchiha was finally back where he belonged, with them by his side. The smile on Naruto's face was worthy of him. He was so happy because he had achieved his personal mission, and Sasuke was finally able to be with them. Exactly how they were when they were in the academy. The room was empty when Naruto opened his eyes again, much more slowly. A large bouquet of flowers rested on the bedside table, filling the room with their sweet scent. He smiled and remembered to thank Ino later. On the right was an abandoned chair. There was another empty bed on his left, the curtains were drawn and the sun was shining. Then he looked at his right arm. Like the rest of his wounds, it had been cleaned and bandaged. He felt strange not to see anything below his elbow, but he did not regret his decision. It was a necessary sacrifice to prove to his best friend that he would never abandon him. His body appeared to be in perfect condition; he felt no pain. After passing his hand delicately over his face, there was no trace of the fight.
"Kurama? Thank you once again for taking care of me" Naruto mentally replied to his demon-fox.
"Huff, if you stopped chasing the Uchiha for two minutes, I wouldn't have so much work to do. But Kit, I couldn't do anything about your arm." The Kyûbi replied in his deep voice.
As the blond ninja tried to get up, he smiled. He had to sit down for a few seconds because his legs were barely able to support him. At the same time, Tsunade opened the door and entered the room with a determined step.
"I'm so glad you're awake," she exclaimed as she approached him.
"Hey, Tsunade, where is Sasuke? Why is he not in the same room as me?" the ninja asked.
A moment later, the Hokage lowered her eyes and turned away from him.
"Um, Naruto, you have to understand that the Council left me with no choice." She pleaded.
Kurama's growl was heard as the young man's eyes crinkled; the medic-nin looked up in shock.
Rather than Naruto's voice, the fox's dark voice demanded: "Where is he?".
Tsunade was puzzled. She had never met the fox directly.
"Kurama?" she asked in complete shock. The Kyûbi growled once more. Naruto didn't appear to have any more control over his squatter.
"Old woman, don't play with my patience, where is the Uchiha?" Kurama demanded. The normally blue eyes of the ninja had turned a ruddy red color.
"I had to put him in the gaols under the Hokage tower," she replied.
In case the fox fully controlled her favorite ninja, she had built up her chakra in her right fist. The fox growled one final time.
"Tsunade?" Naruto asked.
The woman relaxed.
"I'll go find Sasuke under the tower. I didn't fight all this time for him to be treated like a criminal once back in the village. His participation in destroying the eternal Tsukuyomi should prove to everyone that he deserves a place there again." said the blonde.
He stood up again. Though his legs were still a bit weak, he was determined not to let them slow him down. He took off the hospital clothes he had on his back, went to the closet to the right of his bed, near the window, and opened the door. As he put on a white T-shirt, a pair of pants, and sandals, a smile appeared on his face. He should remember to thank Sakura next time he sees her. To make sure he would have clean clothes when he awoke, she probably went to his home. Upon learning Sasuke's fate, Naruto was certain she had anticipated his reaction. She had become his best friend over the years. He was glad to see that he could always count on her. Feeling Tsunade's gaze on him as he dressed, the ninja wondered if she would try to stop him or change his mind.
While she watched the young man dress in silence, the Hokage explained, "They wanted to execute him while he was still unconscious and not able to defend himself. Had they gotten what they really wanted, Sasuke would be dead now."
At his words, he turned sharply.
"After I take care of Sasuke, I plan to pay a visit to the Council very soon. It's about time we put them in their place." He spat between his clenched teeth. Putting his valid hand on the old woman's right shoulder, he closed his jacket.
"I don't understand why the Hokage has to listen to the whims of the Council. Isn't it about time for a change?"
Naruto left his room and went to the Hokage tower.
It felt as if years were weighing down Tsunade. It wasn't the first time since these last days that she felt the weight of her age. Sighing, she massaged the bridge of her nose. She left Naruto's room and made her way to his office. She didn't want to get in the way. The Hokage would have nothing to sanction if she did not know what was happening.
To reach the Tower, Naruto chose an unfamiliar route. He did not want the Council to have an advantage over him. Thus, he took this route. In fact, it was an old service corridor. When he was a child, he discovered it while trying to escape the people of his village. Naruto was aware that the corridor was still occasionally used, so he had to be vigilant. Naruto walked for five minutes before stopping, listening, and opening another door to another much busier corridor. In the end, he had no choice; the door to the gaols was a short distance away to his left in the corridor, on the other side of another door. Uzumaki listened one more time to ensure that no one was approaching and quickly stepped out. Uzumaki walked briskly towards the door. As he approached it, he glanced from left to right to make sure no one had noticed him. The place was empty, so he gently opened the door and down the stairs.
It was humid, the air smelled like soggy earth, there were no windows, only a few torches scattered here and there. The walls were covered with rotten water, leaving greenish stains. Anyone would feel depressed in such an environment. Naruto almost felt sorry for the ANBU who had to work here as a guard. He continued his descent in silence. He didn't know how many guards would be near his best friend's cell. He didn't want them to sound the alarm. Naruto put his ear to the ground at the bottom of the stairs, trying to figure out how many people were there and where Sasuke was. As cold anger tried to control him, he took a deep breath and calmed down. It was not the time for impulsive action. He must think of his friend first. The hallway was turning, so Naruto couldn't see exactly what was in front of him, so he carefully stepped forward. The hallway was visible again after a few moments, and the remainder of the room was straight. He didn't see any guards in sight, so he slowly began walking again.
"Now that's a good thing!" shouted a distant voice.
Another voice replied, "I don't understand why the Hokage did not authorize his execution when he returned to the village."
"I've heard the Hero will never forgive her, and she's completely crazy about the boy." replied the first voice. The ANBU appeared to be heading towards him.
Counting on the surprise effect, Naruto waited for them to appear. He hoped he wouldn't have to fight.
"Well, you know, one way or another this is the end for the Uchi..."
As the ANBU guard looked at the Hero of the last war, he didn't finish his sentence. He looked at both of them. It seemed like his companion did not notice the other ninja.
"What were you saying?" He asked.
Uzumaki Naruto's voice was cold as a February night, sharp as a razor.
He looked up sharply from the book he was reading as he walked. As he swallowed, he choked. Naruto's gaze turned sharply to him. He noticed a reddish glow in the eyes of the ninja. The first thing he did when he saw Naruto was to grab his kunai. As the host's eyes turned to him, he suspended his gesture and quietly raised both hands in a gesture of peace.
"Uh... began the first guard. He appeared petrified on the spot.
"So, if I understand you correctly, Tsunade-Sama should have allowed the Council to execute my best friend, without letting him defend himself and without giving him a fair trial?"
The voice of Naruto was tense, sharp, dark, and sounded much more serious than it should. The men instinctively took a step back, but quickly recovered. On the left, the mask with a moon and a star straightened up a bit.
"The Uchiha deserted his village and plotted with the enemy to destroy Konoha! Why shouldn't he be punished?" he asked, looking at Naruto straight in the eye.
He had to ask this question despite the fear he felt. Naruto turned his reddish gaze to him. The Jinchuriki made a strange growl-like sound. His eyes returned to their normal blue color after a few seconds.
"The village and former Hokage orchestrated the destruction of his entire clan, leaving him as the sole survivor. What would you have done? Huh?"
Naruto stared at the guards one after the other, but they did not seem to have an answer for him.
"So, I will ask you to tell me where Sasuke is. I hope, for your sake, that he is well." he threatened.
Moving his fingers, he reached out for the keys to his friend's cell. His mask was marked with three clouds, and he pulled a few keys from his right pocket of his ANBU jacket. A key was among the twenty he had in his possession.
"His cell is the last one on the right at the end of this hallway. Your friend has been treated for his injuries," he said. It was clear how he felt about the prisoner from the way he used the word friend.
After taking the key from him, Naruto began walking toward his cell. Feeling emotions that he couldn't identify, he was afraid. Kurama also spoke today without his consent. This was not the way the fox normally behaved. This needed to be discussed later. Naruto was worried. In his mind, he feared Sasuke would think he had tricked him into incarceration. When he feared the nukenin had left the village and abandoned him again, his heart tightened in his chest. It was impossible for him to live through another separation, another abandonment. He walked in thought. As he approached the cell, he slowed down without realizing it. He was worried about what he might discover in this dungeon.
As soon as he was in front of the door, he opened it without looking up. When he looked up, his heart skipped a beat, and his stomach dropped to his heels. On the floor, Sasuke lay on a makeshift bed covered by a thin blanket so filthy that it hardly even deserved to be called a blanket. His good hand was chained with a handcuff, preventing him from using his chakra. Her eyes had been blindfolded with seals he didn't recognize. However, he guessed that these prevented the ninja from using his dôjutsu. He was enraged to see his friend being treated like that after everything Konoha had already done to him. It was disgusting. Kurama beat the bars of his cage, begging to be released and to make those responsible pay for his mistreatment.
He took a moment to calm down the fox. Naruto realized he had to have a serious talk with his Bijù. Kurama was acting strangely lately, and Sasuke seemed to be the focus of his reactions. As Naruto approached the motionless ninja, it became clear that something was wrong. Sasuke seemed unconscious, probably due to a drug. He tore off the handcuffs, removed his mask, and gently sat him down, trying to wake him up without success. The only problem was that with only one hand, it wasn't easy for Naruto to carry him.
Sasuke was moved to the edge of the bed by the blonde. Putting his hands between his legs, he let the body of his friend fall gently onto his back. After ensuring Sasuke was in a good position, he stood up. Despite his best efforts, Naruto could not keep Sasuke on his back because he slipped. Sitting on the bed, he looked around, grabbed the dingy sheet on the mat, and tore it in half. Naruto put one piece under Sasuke's legs and the other under his armpits. After he got up, Naruto could tie the sheets in front of him, and hold the sleeping ninja in place. He stepped out of the cell and went back the way he came; he didn't meet the two guards who probably left to warn Tsunade.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders at this point he didn't care at all. The weight on his back made him move slowly, but he also did not want to encounter other guards. He tried to hide his chakra as best he could. Sasuke's chakra was weak due to the restrictions he had placed on it, so he did not worry too much about it for now. Having reached the service corridor, the next step was more delicate. Once on the other side of this door, there are likely to be a lot of ninjas and ANBU guards.
Uzumaki started to consider the easiest way to get out of the tower without being noticed. An idea came to him when he saw a wheelchair abandoned in the corridor. He did not know what it was doing there, but it was a great thing for him. His burden was carefully placed in the chair and the pieces of sheet were wrapped around him as best as he could so that he would not be recognized. With the help of Kurama, Naruto tried his famous "sexy no jutsu", but he could not stay naked. After putting on his clothes again, Naruto rolled through the service door with Sasuke. Walking out with a determined step, Naruto made his way to the exit. Suddenly, he heard a voice.
"Miss!"
An ANBU guard approached quickly. After he thought about it for a moment, he decided not to leave, but to stay where he was. Naruto waited to see what the guard wanted. Turning to the guard, he gave him the sexiest smile he could muster.
"Yes?"
As he lowered his eyes, he tried to make his voice softer.
He approached Sasuke, trying to get closer to him. "Are you going outside with this patient?" he asked.
"Certainly. But don't get too close, he is very contagious. If you haven't had your vaccines, you could get very ill." The guard stepped back and looked at the boy seriously.
"I have never seen you before." he said.
"I was transferred from Suna to study under Tsunade-sama." he replied smoothly.
He stared at him for a few more seconds, smiling.
"Have a nice day, miss. I hope you enjoy your stay in Konoha."
After leaving Naruto, the guard returned to his post. The young man breathed a sigh of relief. He continued walking towards the exit at a good pace. He walked away from the building. He reinstalled Sasuke on his back and jumped quickly onto the roof of the closest building once he was far enough. He ran towards his tiny apartment, hoping it would shelter them until he knew what to do. Near his apartment, he slowed down, scanning the surroundings to make sure there were no guards around. In the end, Tsunade would have to take action against Sasuke. Naruto was not that stupid. Right now he just wanted to keep his friend safe, and then he would see what he should do. He entered the small apartment through the kitchen window. Afterwards, he put a protective seal around the window. Naruto was not an expert in seals, but this one should do for now. Naruto's apartment seemed smaller than usual. He hurried to the corner of his room, stepped over the dirty clothes on the floor, and sat on his bed. Sasuke fell limply into Naruto's unmade bed after defying the ties that bound him to his back. Kurama ordered that the blonde ninja bend over the unconscious ninja and breathe deeply through his nose. The blond ninja wondered what his friend had been given to be knocked out for so long.
Kyûbi growled from the bottom of his cage, still agitated to see the Uchiha in this condition. "They gave him a large dose of lemon balm and Valerian. Enough, in any case, to knock out a large wild boar."
Nasuke settled Sasuke more comfortably in his small bed. He covered him with an orange and black blanket he had had for a very long time. The jinchuriki pulled the sheet that separated the bedroom from the rest of the apartment. The living room and kitchen shared the same space, which held an old couch of an unknown color that tended to get dirty gray with time. The couch faced a black-and-white television. The kitchen area had a rickety old table and three mismatched chairs. In addition to the little fridge, there were two cabinets, one of which was missing its door. The place looked terrible. Since he hardly ever had anyone over, he had never taken the time to clean the house. Rather than being at home, Naruto was usually on a mission or in training. He sat in the kitchen to talk to Kurama.
"Kurama?"
"Hmm?"
"Can you explain why you're acting weird now that Sasuke is back in the village?"
Ask the Jinchûriki in his head as he did when he had to speak with his visitor.
A moment of hesitation followed. The ninja pondered whether he should ask again.
"I don't think you're able to understand right now." That was the fox's final cryptic reply to him.
The Kyûbi refused to provide more information to Naruto, even after he appealed to him for information. He got up from the table and put some water on the stove to make ramen. He began to shake again. After preparing two bowls, the blond boy swallowed one after the other. This somewhat calmed his hunger. In the jinchuriki's mind, he pondered whether he should go see Sasuke again to make sure he was okay, but he held back. Since his best friend returned, he felt different. He felt a primal desire to protect Sasuke. Naruto hoped to keep him at his side because he was afraid he would disappear again. Kurama was snickering somewhere deep in his subconscious. Naruto ignored him and went to take a shower.