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A gust of wind drifted in through the half-open window, slipping over the sill and into the classroom.
It brushed across a boy resting his head on his desk, rustling the sleeves of his school uniform and teasing strands of blond hair across his forehead. The warmth of the sun barely reached him, swallowed by the lingering chill of the spring breeze.
Naruto shifted in his seat, shoulders tensing for only a moment as goosebumps rose over every patch of exposed skin. The breeze slipped past his collar and along his wrists, leaving a faint trail of cold in its wake that drew him out from his nap.
His lashes fluttered but stayed shut unwilling to wake up yet. His head remained pillowed on his folded arms. For a moment, he lingered there in that hazy space between sleep and waking, listening without really meaning to.
Around him, the classroom hummed with the low noise of students chatting, their voices blending into a soft, uneven murmur as they took advantage of the free period to catch up with friends or finish bits of work. The scrape of chairs against the floor and the occasional rustle of paper drifted through the room, familiar and oddly soothing.
Naruto stayed slumped in his spot a while longer, his desk positioned in the perfect place for the high noon sun to spill over him, warming his skin while intermittent gusts of wind drifted through the open window to cool him again. It was comfortable, too comfortable, and he let himself sink deeper into it, hovering in that haze between sleep and wakefulness.
A shadow stopped in front of his desk.
Through the fog of sleep, Naruto half-glanced up at the figure with barely opened eyes, his vision still blurred at the edges. Before he could make out more than dark hair and a familiar outline, the person leaned forward and flicked him sharply between the brows.
“Wake up.”
The voice was low and magnetic, smooth in a way Naruto might’ve appreciated if it hadn’t been attached to the same jerk who had just flicked him.
Naruto jolted upright, one hand immediately flying to his forehead as he rubbed at the sore spot. He glared at the only person arrogant enough to casually invade his space like that.
“What the hell, Sasuke?” he snapped, still rubbing his brow. “You didn’t have to hit me that hard! I was awake!”
Naruto shot him a sulky look, lips pulled into a scowl as he glared up at the Uchiha. Sasuke only crossed his arms, one dark eyebrow lifting in quiet disbelief.
“Are you sure, dobe?” he drawled, smug amusement threading through his voice. “Do you usually drool when you’re awake?”
Naruto immediately reached for his mouth, wiping at his lips before the words fully registered. The second he realized there was nothing there, his head snapped back up.
“Teme! Did you just lie to me?” he accused, pointing a finger straight at the dark-haired boy.
Sasuke leaned down slightly, a smug smirk tugging at his mouth and making the expression on his annoyingly handsome face even more insufferable.
“Didn’t you just say you were awake?” he murmured. “Then wouldn’t you know whether you drooled or not, usuratonkachi?”
Naruto’s mouth opened, then closed again, and in the end he just settled for glaring at the other boy. Sasuke seemed to take it as a sign of victory and moved to his seat beside Naruto.
“Class is starting, dobe,” he said as he settled into his chair. One arm came up to support his head, pale slender fingers folding against the side of his jaw. His knuckles pressed lightly into his soft cheek as he looked over at Naruto.
“Did you do the homework?”
Naruto let out a groan and dropped his head back into his arms, trying to ignore the way his heart always seemed to speed up whenever he looked at the Uchiha. Up close, Sasuke’s pale features looked almost unfair, every part of his face seeming perfectly put together. Naruto guessed there was a reason the Uchiha was so popular. It definitely wasn’t because of his personality.
Lifting his head again, Naruto turned back to Sasuke and clasped his hands together in a praying gesture, giving him his best puppy eyes.
“Sasuke, please let me copy yours! Please!” he begged desperately. Science had never really been his best subject, but Sasuke was good at it, just like he was good at everything else.
Naruto honestly didn’t get how it was possible for that bastard to have everything—good looks, intelligence, talent. Sasuke was simply amazing.
And of course, as his best friend and rival, Naruto had to be the best too.
“Come on, Sasuke! Please! I’ll get your favorite—tomato sandwich! With an extra plump and juicy tomato!” he pleaded.
Sasuke let out a noncommittal hum, his fingers tapping lightly against the desk like he was seriously considering it. But the slight flicker of interest in his eyes was enough to let Naruto know he had already won.
“Fine,” Sasuke agreed begrudgingly. “But if it tastes bad, I’m not helping you again.”
His hands were already moving before he could even finish speaking, reaching for the papers tucked inside the folder he knew Sasuke kept organized way too neatly for someone his age. Sasuke didn’t even try to stop him, just watched with that calm, slightly annoyed look he always wore around Naruto.
There honestly wasn’t much Naruto didn’t know about Sasuke.
The two of them had known each other since they were children, and according to their parents, they had met even earlier than that as babies.
Sasuke was always there, sitting right next to him on the seating chart. Uzumaki and Uchiha, side by side like it was just meant to be that way. Sasuke was constantly there. Even their houses were only a few streets apart.
They had bickered a lot, still did, but somewhere along the way, it had become normal. It had become easy to be around him. Somewhere in between arguments and shared classrooms, they’d become friends.
For Naruto, Sasuke had become as normal and necessary as air.
The dark-haired boy filled most of his memories without even trying. And in turn, Naruto was just as present in Sasuke’s, whether he admitted it or not.
And despite how annoyed Sasuke always acted around him, Naruto knew better.
“Are you daydreaming, dobe?” Sasuke’s voice cut in smoothly. “Hurry up and finish copying. Mess up a few answers. There’s no way you’d get them right.”
A smug smirk tugged at his mouth as his pen idly scratched lines onto the edge of Naruto’s paper.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the movement. “What are you doing, teme?”
Sasuke kept it slightly covered with his hand, finishing the last few strokes before shifting it into view.
A poorly drawn fox stared back at him.
“Not bad,” Sasuke said calmly, like it was a serious critique. A ghost of an amused smirk on his lips. “It looks exactly like you.”
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the ugly fox and bristled. “You’re a bastard.”
The classroom door opened, Professor Kakashi stepping in for class to begin. His signature mask was pulled up, and in his hands was a book. The cover shifted slightly, revealing the pink title of one of his usual Icha Icha books.
They still had a few minutes before class would officially start—about ten minutes, by Kakashi’s own claim, to “prepare.” It was obvious he just didn’t want to put the book down.
“Last few months of school,” Sasuke muttered next to him, his eyes half-lidded as he stared toward the front of the class.
Sunlight spilled through the window and settled over him perfectly, making his pale skin glow like moonlight. His eyelashes cast soft shadows across his cheeks. Those dark eyes flicked briefly toward Naruto.
“What do you want to do after class ends?”
Was… Sasuke making plans with him?
Usually they just went with the flow. They’d gravitate toward each other without thinking, and when they were bored, they’d find something to do—or just be bored together.
“The beach,” he blurted out before he could think about it. Heat rose to his cheeks, but he couldn’t stop the dopey grin that slipped onto his face. “Let’s go to the beach together.”
They’d been to the beach plenty of times before. And for Naruto, anywhere Sasuke was felt like a good place to be.
Sasuke’s lips curled up slightly—something too small to really be called a smile, but still there.
For a moment, Sasuke didn’t say anything. Then, just barely, his lips curved. Something so small it probably wouldn’t even count as a smile to anyone else.
But on Sasuke, it was enough to make Naruto’s chest tighten.
He found himself staring a little too long, memorizing the way Sasuke looked almost haloed in sunlight. His fingers absently traced the ugly fox drawing on his paper while his attention on the boy beside him.
“Okay.”
Naruto snapped awake at the thud on his head.
“Ouch!” He shot up from his seat, rubbing the sore spot, only to meet the cool grey eyes of Kakashi Hatake. In his hand was an Icha Icha book—the likely weapon of assault.
“Did you have a nice dream, Naruto?” the man asked dryly.
Most of the class had already turned to look, snickering quietly to themselves as their classmate got reprimanded again.
Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly. “Sorry, sensei.” It wasn’t the first, or presumably the last time he’d gotten in trouble for sleeping in class.
Having a habit of dozing off when lessons got too boring or went on too long.
“Take a seat, Naruto. Try not to fall asleep in my class anymore.”
He nodded quickly and took his seat. Mr. Hatake continued talking about the lesson, strolling down the rows of seats.
From the seat in front of him, Sakura turned to look back at Naruto the moment Kakashi was out of earshot, her gaze assessing.
“Did you sleep late again?” Her voice was a low whisper, edged with concern.
Guilt must’ve shown on his face, because the pink-haired girl gave him an unhappy look Naruto translated to: I care about you, but if you keep acting like an idiot, I’m going to hit you.
“I didn’t mean to!” Naruto whispered back quickly, leaning forward slightly in his seat. “It just happens. I was up late studying.”
The lie sounded flimsy even to him. Sakura’s green eyes sharpened as she studied his expression for any hint of deceit. Naruto kept his face steady. Open, helpless, and just convincing enough.
Then she sighed. “Did you get it done?”
Naruto sheepishly shook his head. “I tried my best, but all those numbers and words made my head spin.”
The lie came easily. The airhead act always did.
Sakura sighed like she expected nothing else, already resigned. “You should study in the morning and actually try listening in class for once.”
Naruto nodded along guiltily as she continued to lecture him.
He hated lying to her but it was easier than telling the truth.
I don’t sleep at night on purpose so I can fall asleep in class and daydream.
It sounded insane even to him.
A tap on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts. Hinata blushed when he turned to look at her. As shy as ever, her eyes darted around without ever really landing on him.
“I… I heard you didn’t finish your homework,” she whispered quietly, fidgeting with her sleeves. “If you want…”
She pushed her papers toward him. Her handwriting was neat and careful, almost too perfect. The offer was clear enough. And yet he couldn’t take it.
He gave her a grin instead. “Thanks, but if I get caught, you’ll get in trouble too.”
She flushed even more, and Kiba nudged her from the side, making her stammer out something else in response.
Naruto turned back to the front, his eyes drifting down to the half-finished science homework on his desk. The top left corner blank without a mark.
Then his gaze wandered around the classroom. Everyone was at their desks. Some scribbling on papers, listening, or discreetly chatting. Not a single empty seat, except for one.
The same seat that had been empty since he started school in first grade.
The seat next to Naruto.
Everyone was in class.
All of them were there.
Except Sasuke Uchiha.
Because Sasuke Uchiha doesn’t exist.
Naruto had been dreaming of a boy named Sasuke since he was six.
A dark-haired boy, with eyes like the night sky, who would challenge him and play with him.
An imaginary friend, his parents had called him.
But how could he be imaginary if he only appeared in his daydreams? Naruto’s six-year-old self had argued.
In those daydreams, Naruto wasn’t alone. With Sasuke, he didn’t have to be anyone else but himself. Sasuke saw him, and he saw Sasuke.
Each dream felt more like a memory. Vivid and detailed, so real he could almost believe it had actually happened. But in reality, something was always missing, like a puzzle with a center piece missing.
The line between reality and dreams had always been thin. Everything in his dreams was perfect down to the last detail—the places, the details, even the personalities of the people. The only boundary he could ever truly establish was Sasuke.
If Sasuke was there, it was a dream. Because reality could never be that perfect.
It was never dreams at night either. Only ever during the day. Like moments of his life being played out with an added piece he didn’t know he was missing until it was there. And now he couldn’t let go.
But Sasuke Uchiha didn’t exist.
When he was eight, he’d tracked down the Uchiha house after seeing it in his dreams.
The people were the same as in his dream—a stern-looking man and a sweet woman—but they only had one son. Itachi Uchiha. And they had no more children after that.
Sasuke Uchina doesn’t and wouldn’t ever exist. And the only place Naruto could see him was in his day dreams.
To his younger self, it had been devastating news.
He had gone home crying, begging his parents to find him. Crying about a boy in his dreams who didn’t exist. Begging them to tell him he was real and to find him.
His parents had called a therapist instead.
“Is it possible he made up this boy to deal with his loneliness?”
But he wasn’t lonely. He had Sakura-chan, Ino, Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, and all his friends.
“Maybe a lack of parental affection? Over-imaginative children need a lot of attention.”
He loved his parents. They didn’t do anything wrong.
“Give him a few years. He’ll grow out of this phase with time.”
He didn’t want to grow out of it. He wanted Sasuke.
Naruto didn’t grow out of it. As he grew up, the dreams grew with him. Sasuke grew alongside him, side by side.
He just learned to hide it better after his parents grew upset over him talking about it.
Sasuke stayed with him, each daydream like a memory. And he started to fall for someone who wasn’t even real.
He’d taken up basketball and swimming just to exhaust himself enough to fall asleep during the day. Even if he nearly failed a few classes, the thought of Sasuke sitting next to him, talking to him, was enough to make it worthwhile.
In there, he was himself, just different. He didn’t remember anything about the real world where Sasuke didn’t exist. It felt real, like Sasuke was real and truly there. And that was reality.
And then he’d wake up and realize it was all a dream.
“Bye, Sakura-chan.” He lifted a hand in farewell, watching the pink-haired girl give him a small wave and smile before slipping inside her house. The door clicked shut behind her, and Naruto continued down the street toward home alone.
Even with March creeping closer, the air still carried the lingering bite of winter. He tugged his backpack strap tighter over his shoulder, his short-sleeved uniform doing little to protect him from the cold.
Then a shiver ran through him.
Not from the weather this time.
A wave of unease washed over him, sudden and sharp, the weight of unseen eyes pressing against his back hard enough to make the hairs on his neck rise.
Just keep walking.
It was probably nothing, he told himself. In a town as small as theirs, there was hardly anyone he didn’t know. The worst crimes they ever had were petty thefts and the occasional vandalism.
But what if it wasn’t?
A voice nagged in the back of his mind.
Then I’ll beat the bastard up and go home.
Naruto gave himself an encouraging nod and kept moving, his steady walk gradually quickening into a brisk pace, then a light jog.
Okay, he was almost sure it was nothing.
But better safe than sorry, right?
Right as he turned the corner, the sight of a shadowed figure leaning against the darkest stretch of wall stopped him dead in his tracks.
“Naruto.”
Naruto yelped and nearly jumped out of his skin, whipping around like a startled cat.
“Back off, bastard! I’ll punch ya! I swear I will!”
The figure let out a long, tired sigh and slowly pushed himself off the wall, stepping into the light.
A pale, exhausted face came into view.
Itachi Uchiha.
Naruto blinked. He’d only seen the man a handful of times and even then, only in his dreams.
But the resemblance was immediate: the same dark hair, sharp eyes, and unfairly handsome face.
Only, in his dreams, the man always wore a faint smile. Here, he looked older somehow. Colder. As if whatever warmth softened his features in those dreams simply didn’t exist in reality.
“You are Naruto Uzumaki, yes?” he asked, voice flat.
Naruto stared at him for a second. “Who’s asking?”
A beat of silence.
“Me,” Itachi replied dryly.
Naruto gaped at him.
Were all Uchiha like this? Was this why Sasuke was such a bastard? Was it hereditary?
Itachi watched his expression for a long moment, his eyes as sharp as a crow’s. The way he looked at Naruto made it feel like he could peel back his mind and soul, prying out secrets with nothing more than a glance.
“You came to visit my family a few years back,” he said at last, voice even. “Why?”
Irritation flared in Naruto again.
Why the hell was he being interrogated over something he’d done ages ago?
And wasn’t he supposed to be in college? When had he even come back? More importantly, why?
His brows furrowed. “What kind of question is that? I don’t remember. That was a long time ago.”
Itachi clearly didn’t believe him.His eyes stayed sharp and scrutinizing, fixed on Naruto with the same relentless intensity, like he was weighing every twitch of his expression against something only he knew.
Then the tense furrow in his brow loosened. “You’re a good friend, Naruto.”
Naruto’s mind immediately spun a mile a minute in confusion.
A good friend?
They didn’t even know each other. Did he mean Sakura? Did he see him drop her off?
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
“I hope you won’t regret your choice,” Itachi said, his voice as calm and unreadable as ever. “Whatever you make.”
With that curt, completely baffling, no-context statement, the Uchiha stalked off, quiet and silent, his figure almost seeming to dissolve into the elongated shadows cast across the buildings by the setting sun.
What the hell just happened?
Why couldn’t Uchina be more straightforward?
He was going to lose his mind trying to understand anything that happened.
The lights were already on when he opened the door, the scent of ramen drifting through the house.
Minato smiled at him when he entered, soft and tired. “Naruto. Welcome home.”
He glanced around. “Mom’s not home?”
Minato rubbed his brow and let out a sigh. “Your mom’s hiking again.”
His fingers tightened around the phone in his hand. Naruto didn’t need to look to know what number he was calling.
But he did anyway—Kushina, the name glowing on the screen.
He understood why his dad was worried. It wasn’t that his mom didn’t go hiking often. It was that, for the past few weeks, she had been more distant—her smiles more absent, her presence a little out of reach.
In his childhood, his parents had been happily in love. Their only real argument had been the day Naruto came home crying, talking about Sasuke.
They had blamed themselves. Blamed each other. Said they must have neglected him badly enough to cause attachment issues, to the point he needed therapy.
Their marriage never quite recovered after that.
Naruto knew they stayed together for him. Less like a couple in love, and more like partners raising a child with care.
It wasn’t him, his mother had reassured him once. People sometimes just fell out of love.
He couldn’t imagine that ever happening. If he loved someone, the idea of not loving them anymore for no real reason made him feel sick.
“Is that ramen?” he asked, breaking the tense silence.
Minato nodded with a small smile and pushed a bowl toward him. “Finish your homework. Go to sleep on time, Naruto. I know you’ve been staying up late.”
“Yes, Dad.” Naruto nodded and eagerly dug in.
The hot broth and noodles were heaven against his growling stomach, warmth spreading through him almost instantly.
Minato let out a fond chuckle. “Slow down. It’s not going anywhere.”
“My stomach might,” Naruto said through a mouthful of noodles, already reaching for another bite.
Minato chuckled goodnatured and ruffled his hair. He got up and grabbed a coat. “I’ll be back soon. Clean up and go to bed.”
Naruto gave him a mock salute. “Yes sir.”
After finishing two bowls, he washed the dishes. Water splashed everywhere, tapping against the sides of the sink and spilling onto the counter. He tried to guide it back in, only for more to drip onto the floor.
He could almost imagine the brow flick and scowl Sasuke would give him for failing such a simple task.
“Ah dammit,” he muttered, scrubbing at it with his sleeve before grabbing paper towels.
He shook the thought off quickly, clumsily wiping down the counter and floor, leaving faint streaks behind more than actual cleanliness. Good enough, he decided.
He turned off the kitchen light and headed upstairs. The shadows stretched long across the hallway, and at the end of it sat his bedroom door.
Naruto let out a groan as he reached his room and flopped onto the bed, sinking into the softness of his sheets.
His phone tumbled out of his pocket and onto the edge of the mattress. His hand shot out quickly to catch it before it slipped off.
His pinky and thumb snagged it at the last second.
He held it up in triumph. “Lucky!”
Letting out a relieved breath, he sank back into the mattress.
The screen flickered on. 7:56 PM glowed at the top, with a few messages beneath it, his group chat talking about meeting up and homework.
Then one more notification.
An email with an unknown sender with the subject, Do as you wish.
Naruto raised a brow in confusion.
“…What?”
Curiosity getting the better of him, he tapped it open.
The sender field was blank, the message instead delivered straight to Naruto’s personal email.
The content was just a link. The homepage name read Leaf Scrolls, and the title beneath it: Truth Reveal.
Was this a scam?
He wasn’t dumb enough to fall for something like that.
Naruto clicked it anyway.
…Okay, he was.
Hovering his finger over the exit button just in case, he waited for the page to load, ready to close it the moment anything looked off.
A few seconds later, a clean, strangely professional-looking page appeared.
The title now clearly read:
Find out the Truth of Anything You Want to Know With a Simple Ritual
Below it were step-by-step instructions:
- Write your question down on a piece of paper.
- Drop one drop of blood onto it.
- Offer something of equal value to the question.
- Burn the paper and the item.
- Do it before midnight.
- The next day, you’ll have your answer.
What kind of scammy website didn’t even ask for money?
This was a terrible way to run a scam.
Even so, Naruto kept scrolling, curiosity getting the better of him as he read the instructions.
At the very bottom was a warning in bold.
Caution: Warning for all rituals.
The universe does not preserve causes—only outcomes.
All given things must be balanced by equivalent loss.
Rituals can force exchange, but balance must be maintained.
Naruto frowned.
“…Not creepy at all,” he muttered. “Why would they put the warning at the bottom?”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
What did that even mean?
Why would someone send this to him anyway? It’s not like he’d asked for the truth or anything.
A figure flashed in his mind, dark hair, obsidian eyes, a faint smile curling at his lips.
Could this… help him find Sasuke?
He’d never stopped hoping Sasuke was real.
All those dreams that felt like memories, warm, painful and real. A whole life with Sasuke right there beside him. How could he just give that up?
If it didn’t work… what did he have to lose anyway?
His fingers hovered over the phone for a long moment.
Then, slowly, Naruto sat up.
“…It’s stupid,” he muttered to himself.
No money. No warning pop-ups. No obvious catch beyond the blood thing. Which was already weird enough to disqualify it as normal.
His gaze drifted back to the instructions burned into his mind.
Write your question.
He pulled out a notebook, tore out a page, and wrote it down.
Is Sasuke Uchiha real?
Then came the blood.
He hesitated for a moment, then grabbed a thumbtack and pressed it into his index finger until it broke through the skin. A sharp sting followed, and a bead of blood surfaced.
Naruto winced, but held his hand steady, letting a single drop fall onto the paper, landing right beside Sasuke’s name.
He sucked on his finger to stop the bleeding and moved on.
Something of equal value.
What was as valuable to him as knowing Sasuke was real?
Naruto wasn’t materialistic. Things didn’t matter much to him. People did.
His eyes drifted around the room in thought—until they landed on a photograph.
A family picture.
Before everything had started to feel slightly off. Before smiles became rarer, and something unspoken settled between his parents.
His mom and dad stood together, arms wrapped around each other, both smiling. Between them, a younger Naruto—six years old—grinning brightly at the camera.
One of the last photos he remembered of them as they used to be.
He hesitated.
“…It’s for Sasuke,” he murmured.
Carefully, he pulled it from the frame.
His fingers tightened around it for a second longer than necessary.
Now what?
He looked back at the instructions.
Burn the paper and item.
Naruto grabbed a glass bowl and a lighter from the kitchen, then placed both the paper and the photograph inside it. Carefully, he carried it into the bathroom.
The tiles were cold under his feet as he set the bowl down on the sink counter.
For a moment, he just stared at it.
The family photo sat slightly curled against the side of the glass. The paper with his question lay beneath it.
Naruto exhaled, flicking the lighter opens he clicked the ignition once and twice.
The small flame ignited slow and held steady.
He brought it to the edge of the paper.
It caught quickly, fire crawling along the fibers and spreading in uneven lines.
He dropped it into the bowl with the photo.
Orange light bloomed inside the glass, reflecting off the bathroom mirror in wavering fragments.
The flame devoured the paper first, ink disappearing into blackened edges. Sasuke’s name was the last thing to go, curling into ash.
Then it moved to the photograph.
Naruto watched as the fire ate into the edges of his parents’ faces, their smiles warping in heat and smoke, turning soft and unrecognizable as they sank into a murky brown ash.
Naruto watched it closely.
Nothing weird. Nothing happened.
Of course nothing happened.
He let out a short breath. “Yeah… obviously.”
He rubbed a hand through his messy blond hair, messing it up further.
All the late nights must be getting to him. Of course it didn’t work. It was just a stupid scam website.
“Let’s just go to bed,” he muttered to himself.
He left the bowl for tomorrow, turned away, flicked off the light and collapsed onto his bed. The mattress sank under his weight as exhaustion finally caught up.
The weight of disappointment lingered in his chest longer than it should have.
He’d actually hoped, just for a second, that it might work.
But that was stupid.
It was just a dumb ritual on a fake website, probably made to trick gullible people like him.
Naruto exhaled slowly, staring up at the ceiling.
“…Sasuke,” he muttered absently under his breath. He curled onto his side, pulling a pillow close to his chest, eyes fixed on the window. Outside, the sky was dark and vast, stars scattered in the distance like faint, unreachable lights. The moon shone brightly, distant and beautiful.
His eyes drifting closed, the absence of something vital ached like a black hole.
“Do you dream of me too?”
“Did you hear that another girl went missing?”
“She probably just ran away.”
“I know, but what if something happened to her?”
“A serial killer? Yeah, like that would happen here.”
“I guess you’re right. Anyway, did you see—”
“Naruto!”
Sakura slammed her hand on the desk, making him jolt upright in his chair.
She scowled down at him. “You slept in late again?”
Naruto winced at her tone. “I didn’t mean to. I just couldn’t sleep.”
It was the truth this time. After he’d gone to bed, he’d only managed a few hours before waking up again—and after that, no matter how much he tossed and turned, sleep refused to come back.
His head still felt heavy, like his thoughts had never fully settled.
Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re going to fail if you keep this up.”
“I’m fine,” he said quickly, forcing a grin. “See? Totally awake.”
She gave him an unconvinced look, then leaned over and squinted at his desk. She flipped through his papers and paused.
Her expression shifted.
“…You did the homework?”
“What? I did?” Naruto blinked, confused.
Sakura slowly straightened, then shook her head like she’d already decided something. A sigh left her.
“You shouldn’t push yourself so hard,” she said more softly.
Then she gave him a small, reassuring smile. “You can just tell me the truth, Naruto. Studying all night and everything. I’m your friend.”
Naruto stared at her.
What? He hadn’t studied at all.
He didn’t even touch the homework!
Sakura, meanwhile, just hummed and tucked his papers neatly back into place like it was settled.
“Don’t worry,” she added, turning back around in her seat. “If you fall asleep, I’ll wake you up.”
Naruto gaped at her, bewildered.
He pulled the papers back out—the same ones she’d just tucked away.
The homework was finished.
In his handwriting.
And on the corner of the page was an ugly fox drawing.
He blinked at it.
It didn’t move, just stared right back at him.
“…What.”
He rubbed his eyes and looked again.
It stayed in place.
What.
The.
Hell.
What was happening?
How was the fox that Sasuke had drawn on his homework yesterday now on his homework?
How was his homework even done? He didn’t even know the answers yesterday. Unless they were copied, but the only person who shared their homework yesterday was Hinata, and he had refused. And Sasuke, whose work he’d taken.
He traced the fox drawing, almost in awe.
Had the ritual worked?
Was Sasuke actually real?
Wasn’t it supposed to reveal the truth or something?
He pulled out his phone and check it. Like he thought it was meant to reveal the truth.
Then… was Sasuke always real?
Was this even… reality?
The thought made his stomach plummet.
He shook it off quickly. No way. If he let himself fall into that, he’d drown in doubt and questions he couldn’t crawl back out of.
The better question was—if Sasuke was real, why didn’t anyone remember him except Naruto?
…Nope. He had no idea.
Frustrated, he slumped back down in his chair. The stupid ritual had left him with more questions than answers. His fingers traced the outline of the fox on his paper again, slower this time.
If Sasuke was real… then were all the dreams he had of them also real?
“Sakura-chan.”
The girl let out a hum in response.
“Do you remember a boy? Black hair… kinda annoying?”
She hummed thoughtfully. “Rock Lee?”
Naruto scowled. “No!” The idea almost offended him. “He was…”
Amazing. Smart. Talented. Magnetic.
Even when Naruto wanted to punch him, he couldn’t look away.
“…handsome,” he finished lamely.
She tilted her head. “Sai?”
Naruto groaned and buried his face in his arms. “Forget it.”
A contemplative look crossed her expression.
“I think there was that one boy you used to hang around with when you were younger. I just can’t remember…”
She trailed off, a faintly dazed look flickering across her eyes.
“But he had spiky dark hair… and you two always argued.”
Naruto’s breath caught.
His heart stuttered hard in his chest.
That had to be Sasuke.
He leaned forward so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor, drawing irritated glances from nearby students. He ignored them.
“What else do you remember?” he asked, too quickly.
Sakura shook her head. “Nothing else. I think he left town?”
Shikamaru glanced over from the next row. “Yeah, I remember that kid too. Weird… I can’t remember anything else about him.”
Naruto went still.
“Why? Why are you asking, Naruto?” Shikamaru’s sharp gaze pinned him in place.
Naruto gave a strained laugh and sank back into his seat.
“Nothing,” he said quickly. “Just… reminiscing.”
Shikamaru raised a brow, always the sharp one, but didn’t press further and turned back to the front.
“You should check your old photos and childhood things. I’m sure you’d have a picture somewhere in there.”
Naruto looked at him, stunned. That was… surprisingly helpful.
Why didn’t he think of that?
“Thanks, Shikamaru! I will,” he grinned eagerly.
“Oh, and Naruto?”
Naruto glanced over at him. Shikamaru’s dark eyes bore into him, steady and unreadable.
“People are different from how they are in your memories. Things change. Just be aware of that.”
Naruto’s grin faltered slightly. His hand tightened around the corner of the paper.
Changed. Would Sasuke be changed?
It doesn’t matter. Sasuke was Sasuke.
“Okay. Thanks,” Naruto gave him a smile.
He smoothed out the crumpled paper again, pressing it flat against the desk.
Even if Sasuke was different, he’d deal with it.
As long as Sasuke was back in the seat next to him.
When he got home from school and after after-school clubs, it was 7:15.
The door was already unlocked, but all the lights were off. Only the living room TV was on, a figure with vibrant red hair just barely visible over the back of the couch.
“Mom?” Naruto asked hesitantly, slipping off his shoes into his house slippers.
Kushina turned when she heard him, smiling but it didn’t reach her eyes. No warmth behind it, even as she spoke.
“Naruto, welcome home.”
“Yeah. I’m back,” he muttered.
His eyes drifted to the TV as the scene changed. A news report. Another body had been found off-trail in the woods near the mountains.
A girl around his age—tortured, then strangled to death.
Her parents had filed the report after she never came home from a weekend sleepover. She hadn’t even made it there.
Now, a week later, they’d found her body.
The TV flickered off.
The remote was in Kushina’s hand.
“You should go do your homework,” she said, her tone eerily flat.
Naruto suppressed a shiver.
“I will,” he said quickly. Then, after a beat, “Mom… do we have any of my old stuff? From when I was like six?”
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Her eyes followed as he moved.
She paused hearing his request.
“…old stuff?” She repeated.
Yeah,” Naruto said, a little more eager now. “Like boxes. Photos. Toys. Anything like that.”
He really hoped they still had them. They did have a bad habit of saving everything in their family, but also forgetting where things were.
She didn’t respond for a second.
“The attic. That’s where they’re all kept,” she said, turning her gaze back to the TV screen, switching it back to the news.
He started to move past the couch when she spoke up again.
“Naruto.”
He stopped and glanced back at her, confused.
She didn’t turn to look at him again. The glow of the TV lit her face, blank and unmoving.
“Don’t stay up too late.”
He nodded. “Okay. You too.”
He made his way through the hall to the attic, using a hooked stick to pull the ladder down.
The pull-down steps creaked loudly as they lowered, wood groaning like it hadn’t been touched in years. A thin layer of dust drifted down into the hallway.
He coughed, waving it away.
Looking up into the dark attic space, he shivered and rubbed at his arms as goosebumps rose.
No way there was anything up there. Just storage.
Still, he sighed and climbed.
The attic was colder than the rest of the house.
He sneezed once, then again, from the dust that rose with every step. Fumbling slightly, he felt along the wall for the light switch and finally flicked it on.
Nothing happened.
Not even a flicker.
“Fuck,” he muttered. “Of course.”
Of course his luck was this bad.
Sorry, Sasuke, he was probably going to die here.
He patted himself down for his phone and pulled it out, squinting at the sudden brightness before switching on the flashlight.
Thank god for modern technology.
He shone the light down onto the floor and slowly moved deeper in.
“Please no creepy dolls. No creepy dolls,” he muttered under his breath, eyes darting to every dark corner, the flashlight cutting through the darkness like a blade.
All it caught were still boxes and the wooden framing of the house.
Get it together, Naruto!
He was on a mission here.
He straightened a little, gathering whatever courage he had left, and started shifting through the boxes, one by one, covering his mouth and nose with his shirt as dust rose with every movement.
“Old stuff… old stuff…” he muttered to himself as he went through it.
Ten minutes passed.
Then twenty.
Finally, at the very back, buried behind everything else, he found it.
An unlabeled box.
No name. No date. Nothing.
“Seriously?!” he groaned. “Of course it’s this one!”
He pulled it out carefully and set it in front of him.
Lesson learned, he decided. He was absolutely organizing everything from now on.
He opened the box and went though it.
A few pictures from when he was younger, a baby Naruto chewing on his mom’s hair. His parents younger and happy, smiling like they were content. A few keychains and old toys scattered in between, half familiar, half forgotten.
“There has to be something,” he muttered, more desperate now.
What dreams did he remember?
Naruto always played with Sasuke outside. And they had their picture taken once by their parents.
The beach.
His hands moved faster.
He pulled out a dusty photo, edges worn and half of it missing.
A picture of him at six, scowling, glaring off to his left at someone.
His small hand was fisted in the collar of whoever was next to him.
But the person beside him wasn’t visible, that half torn out.
Just a hint of black hair and a pale hand gripping Naruto’s shirt in return, just as tightly.
Naruto froze.
“…Sasuke,” he breathed.
He was real. This was proof.
Naruto dug deeper through the box, pulling things out faster now—photos half torn down the middle, familiar dark hair barely visible in the corner of frames, like someone had tried to erase him.
And then there were his drawings too. Pages of them. A boy with dark hair in blue clothing, always scowling, always standing beside a blond-haired boy.
Naruto’s hands trembled.
Ten years of thinking it had all been a dream. Ten years of waking up with something missing and thinking he’d never have it.
Sasuke was real.
And he still didn’t exist.
“Fuck.”
His fist hit the ground. Dust puffed up around his knuckles. Hot tears burned in his eyes, blurring everything.
“Sasuke… Sasuke…” he muttered low, voice breaking completely. “Come back…”
His grip tightened on the photo like if he held on tight enough he might come back.
“Please.”
“Naruto? Are you listening to me?”
A hand was raised to flick his brow, quickly caught by Naruto.
“I am,” Naruto grumbled.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, but didn’t pull his wrist out of Naruto’s grasp.
“Then what did I just say?”
“No clue.” Naruto grinned, only to get his shin kicked.
“Ouch—okay, okay! I was listening,” he rushed out. “You’re going up the mountain, right? For your family’s uhh…”
“Family’s ritual,” Sasuke said flatly. “Doing a ritual to keep the gods’ favor and be blessed.”
“Like those dances?” Naruto teased with a grin.
Sasuke elbowed him lightly, pulling his wrist free.
“You’re an idiot.”
Naruto huffed, but his grin stayed.
His fingers flexed slightly as Sasuke’s hand pulled away. He immediately missed the weight of it, the soft skin under his fingertips.
He wrapped his hand around a pencil instead so he wouldn’t do something dumb like reach for him again.
“Yeah, yeah. I got it. And you’ll be back by Monday?”
Sasuke gave a confirming nod. “Itachi would usually do it, but he’s at college right now. So I am.”
“Great. A weekend free from you.” Naruto stretched lazily, rubbing the crick out of his neck from sleeping at his desk. “I’ll have a great time.”
“Shut up, dobe.” Sasuke scowled, a familiar expression on his pretty face, and his elbow found its target against Naruto’s ribs.
Naruto’s hand shot out, wrapping around the dark-haired boy’s forearm to stop him from doing it again.
His eyes dropped to the pale arm encircled by his hand. The pads of his fingers dug slightly into soft flesh. The smooth skin under his palm made his heart skip a beat.
But he kept that cocky smirk on his face anyway.
“Admit it. You’ll miss me.”
He looked at the other boy.
His face was blurry for some reason.
Naruto rubbed his eyes. It didn’t change.
Sasuke? he wanted to say. What’s going on?
Instead, his mouth answered on its own.
“No way. Not at all.”
The arm in his grip turned cold—like marble. Heavy and cold like ice.
He couldn’t see the other boy’s face anymore. Just a blur of pale skin and black hair, features melting out of focus like a camera refusing to lock onto him.
“…would… remember me… Naruto.” His voice cut out like a radio losing signal, glitching, distorted, and muffled as if the sound itself couldn’t hold together properly anymore.
Naruto’s chest tightened.
He wanted to reach out, grab him, pull him close, hold him there and not let go, like if he just held on tighter he’d stay
Don’t go…
But he couldn’t move. His body felt locked in place. Like something was holding him still just long enough for this moment to finish happening without him being able to stop it, just witness it.
Sasuke.
He woke up gasping, reaching out for something that wasn’t there.
It had been a week since he found out Sasuke wasn’t just a dream.
And a week since he started dreaming of him at night. The daydreams had cut off abruptly after that day, replaced by this fragmented, unnatural dream instead.
He didn’t get it, but he wanted it to stop. Each one made dread creep deeper into him, like something bad was coming closer every time he closed his eyes. Like he was running toward a deadline with an end date he didn’t know. Something he didn’t know or understand to stop.
He just knew it involved Sasuke.
He ran a hand through his blond hair, tugging at it as he took heavy breaths to calm the frantic pounding in his chest.
He was running out of time. He didn’t know why he knew that, but he did.
With shaky fingers, he reached for his phone. 2 a.m. glowed back at him.
He hesitated for only a second before opening the email that had started it all.
The sender was still blanked out.
But the reply option was still there.
Naruto swallowed and typed.
Why do you send me this if I can’t do anything? Tell me what to do. How do I get Sasuke back?
He sent it.
Tossing his phone to the side, he rolled over and stared out through the open window. The night sky stretched above him, but the stars were hidden behind clouds, the moon swallowed by them too. Heavy grey shapes drifted slowly across everything, obscuring it all from sight.
By the time his eyes started drifting shut, the vibration of his phone jolted him awake.
He reached over and grabbed it, squinting at the brightness before lowering it slightly as he swiped up and unlocked it.
And immediately sat up.
The sender had replied.
Not with words, but another link. The same homepage as before, but this one leading to a different page.
He clicked it.
It loaded after a few seconds. The same clean layout with the name Leaf Scroll at the top, and beneath it a new title appeared:
Restore What Was Lost With a Simple Ritual
Undo’s 100% of rituals!
And like before, a step-by-step instruction appeared beneath it.
- Write down what you wish to restore
- Drop one drop of blood
- Offer something as an equal exchange
- Do before midnight
- Only one chance to attempt this ritual
At the bottom of the page, the caution warning appeared like before.
Caution: Warning for all rituals.
The universe does not preserve causes—only outcomes.
All given things must be balanced by an equivalent loss.
Rituals can force exchange, but balance must be maintained.
But this time under it there was another line.
Death restored must be balanced by equivalent loss.
Equal exchange? What is Sasuke worth to him?
A lot. Then what would he have to trade for Sasuke?
He pulled out an orange sticky note, trying to think.
He scratched his head.
More pictures? He had already tried that for the other one.
Maybe a pet? He didn’t have one.
What would be equal exchange for a human life?
…fuck.
Only a human life was equal to it.
But he couldn’t just kill someone. That was illegal.
Who would he even kill? Would anyone do?
Could he pull the plug of someone already dying?
Would that be equal?
He already knew the answer in his heart.
It wouldn’t.
What Sasuke was to him, what Sasuke meant to him… it was much more than that.
And he only had one shot at this ritual.
No more second chances.
He stared at the sticky note longer.
The pen tip pressed into the paper without moving, leaving a tiny dent like it couldn’t decide whether to commit ink or not.
His thoughts kept circling the same point.
Human life.
That was the only thing that came close.
But to compare the weight of a human life against Sasuke’s…
But with what Sasuke meant to him?
There were only a few people that meant as much to Naruto as that.
He hesitated, then slowly started writing them down.
Minato, his dad.
Sakura-chan.
Iruka-sensei.
And his mom.
The pen stopped there.
It wasn’t just names. Each one had weight. People he loved. Years of memories, moments, voices, everything that made them real to him.
Suddenly, he felt sick.
One of them or Sasuke?
People who were remembered and loved. Or someone only he remembered.
Would he trade their lives for the other?
His hand loosened around the pen slightly.
The sticky note crinkled under his fingers.
He couldn’t do it. But he couldn’t lose Sasuke either.
His phone lit up with a new notification. Naruto reached for it with a trembling hand.
On the screen was another email from the blank sender of the rituals.
A date now.
April 18th. One week.
Underneath it, a single line.
Last day to do it.
Naruto stared at it.
For a second, he didn’t move at all.
Then he threw his phone at the wall hard.
It cracked on impact and dropped to the floor with a heavy thud.
“Fuck you,” he muttered, voice shaking. “Don’t talk to me about Sasuke.”
He pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them tightly.
One week to kill somone or lose Sasuke forever.
“…You look sick.”
Immediately a chorus of protests went up.
“You can’t just say that, Sai!”
“Why not? It’s true.”
“It’s rude!” Ino said, disapproving.
Naruto didn’t lift his head. “Leave me alone,” he muttered, voice muffled by his arms.
“Naruto?” A hand landed on his shoulder.
Sakura leaned down, her brows knitted together in concern. “Are you okay? You can always talk to us.”
Beside her, Ino nodded, both of them looking at him like he was a kicked puppy. Which wasn’t inaccurate for how he felt.
He had one more day before the deadline passed. He knew for sure it wasn’t fake.
The memories and image he had of Sasuke were fading more and more by the day.
Now it had come down to one last day.
One more day to pick someone to kill and exchange their life for Sasuke.
But he couldn’t exactly say that out loud.
He couldn’t just walk them through it like it was normal.
How was he supposed to explain why he couldn’t just let Sasuke go? That the idea of it felt worse than anything else?
He exhaled slowly into his arms. He hadn’t eaten or slept properly for the past few days, his thoughts spiraling.
He’d even thought about sacrificing himself.
But he’d rejected it almost immediately.
He wanted to be wherever Sasuke was. Even if he was dead, at least then they’d be in the same place.
“Are you going home yet?” Sakura asked gently.
“Not yet. I’ll head out in a bit.”
Sakura frowned slightly, but nodded. “Go home soon, okay? And be careful when you do. They found a third body.”
Naruto finally lifted his head a little at that.
Before he could say anything, she was already leaving, Ino and Sai in tow, the three of them slipping back into easy conversation about something else as they headed out.
Naruto traced the broken edge of his phone, waiting until most of the students had left before trudging home.
The breeze blew cold. Trees swayed lightly, already covered in fresh green leaves courtesy of spring.
A crow cawed from an electric line overhead. Then another.
A row of them sat along both sides of the street, three or four clustered together, their beady eyes tracking him as their heads tilted in eerie little motions.
“Naruto.”
At the sound of the voice, the crows burst into noise, cawing as they took off in a flutter of black feathers.
Naruto looked up.
Standing in front of him was Itachi Uchiha.
This time, Naruto didn’t flinch or startle.
“You again,” he muttered. “Why are you here?”
Itachi’s dark gaze didn’t waver. “The last day is tomorrow.”
“I know…” Naruto trailed off.
Then his eyes widened.
The dull edge in his blue eyes, stained by exhaustion and dread, suddenly sharpened with anger.
“You,” he snapped.
His fingers tightened around the cracked phone in his hand.
“You’re the asshole who sent the email!” He pointed an accusing finger at the man.
The older Uchiha didn’t flinch and only gave a curt nod.
Naruto jolted into action, swinging his fist.
Itachi didn’t move, letting it connect against his jaw, his head snapping to the side on impact.
“You bastard!” Naruto grabbed the collar of the Uchiha’s black shirt in a tight grip.
“You remember Sasuke!”
He gave another nod, no trace of emotion even after the punch.
“Then…” his voice faltered. “Why…”
His hands trembled, the pain he’d been suppressing from having Sasuke so close yet still so far, the wild swing of emotions from learning he was real to now losing him forever, suddenly clogging his throat.
“Why didn’t you just do it?” he pleaded.
“I can’t,” the dark-haired man said.
“Why not!”
“It’s your choice.”
“It’s not my choice if he’s your brother, bastard!” His hand tightened on the man’s collar.
“It is.”
“The hell it is! Why would it be?!”
Itachi sighed like Naruto was being particularly slow.
Naruto didn’t exactly think that was a wrong assessment, but he didn’t have to like it.
“Sasuke gave up his… existence,” he started, like it pained him to even say the words.
It was the first time Naruto had seen him hesitate. The first crack in that emotionless face.
“To make you happy.”
“I’m not happy without him,” Naruto said immediately.
“He didn’t give it up for no reason. You’re the only person he would do it for. You must know what it was for.”
“Well, I don’t!”
Itachi sighed again and flicked Naruto’s brow with a finger.
The same way Sasuke had.
Naruto blinked, his grip loosening on instinct, the memory of soft pale skin and dark hair flashing through him.
But no clear features came to mind anymore. Just his silhouette, and the vague, aching feeling of being whole around him, followed by the sharp pull of longing when he was gone.
“Naruto.”
Even his voice was fading from his memories.
Like Sasuke was fading from existence itself.
“Think harder. It must be someone you love. The universe must be balanced. If Sasuke doesn’t exist, that means someone else’s life was exchanged in return.”
Naruto’s breathing hitched.
“Anyone who has been acting different, or off. It could be them.”
Someone acting odd.
No one came to mind.
Then his eyes widened.
A sickening realization settled into his body all at once, heavy and cold. His gut rolled with discomfort.
He could barely force the words out.
“M-my mom.”
Itachi didn’t react with surprise. His expression stayed unchanged, like he already knew, like he’d been waiting for Naruto to realize it himself.
“What?” he muttered, something cold tightening in his chest like heartbreak.
“My mom…died?” Naruto said, his head spinning as the words tried to settle.
She had been acting different. Strange for the past month. Hiking more. Disappearing for days.
And her smile hadn’t been the same either.
Even though she and his dad weren’t on the best terms, they still cared about each other. She wouldn’t act like that for no reason.
When…
Family ritual.
That’s what Sasuke had said in the dream.
“What did you say?” Itachi said, sharper.
Naruto jolted, looking at him. Did he say it out loud?
“That’s what I’ve been dreaming about,” he said quickly. “I always had day dreams about him. But this time I’m dreaming about him at night. And it’s that exact moment over and over for the last week.”
He swallowed.
“He said he was going up the mountain to do a family ritual since you weren’t there.”
Itachi’s expression shuttered, going completely blank. His hands flexed, then clenched into fists.
Then he released a breath, his expression going back to calm.
“What is it? Is that what Sasuke did to…” he couldn’t finish it.
Save my mom.
“That’s different. But… Sasuke would have used a similar ritual.”
“And? How do we save him?” he said desperately.
“We can’t reverse what happened. Only balance it.” His stomach twisted. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
“That means my mom’s life for Sasuke’s,” he swallowed around the lump in his throat. “That’s why you said it’s my choice.”
Itachi studied him, his eyes sharp and older than he looked, like he was carrying the weight of the world. He gave a slight tip of his chin, a nod.
Naruto suddenly realized that Sasuke’s presence didn’t only affect him. Without Sasuke, Itachi felt colder, like some important part of him had been torn out of him. With him, he was brighter. More at ease.
“And if I don’t?” He said tendentiivly.
“Sasuke’s existence will be erased from us too. I know you can feel it happening.”
Naruto’s jaw clenched.
Gone.
Sasuke would be gone.
“I won’t make your choice for you. My brother… he made this choice for you,” Itachi said. “I hope you won’t regret what you choose.”
With that, he strode off.
The crows had settled back onto the wires while they were talking, now watching him with coal-dark eyes.
Like they were asking him what he was going to do.
…
Ṋ̶̢̼͍͚̹̘̤͗̊͊̄͂̊̕a̸̱͉̝̝͉͓̬̺̓̉̌̈̍͂̈͛̒͝r̶̡̦̟͖͔͉̫͈̹̫̈́̋̅̅̋͝͠u̶̡̧̺̤̙̜̳͈͂͊t̷̡̻̤̲̜̪̞͖̟͑̆̓͊͘͝ͅo̸̞͙͈̽͂͗̅̈̓̇” a voice muttered low and fond.
He couldn’t remember who said it. Only that it felt familiar.
He ached to touch them. To reach out and pull them into his arms and hold them there, like if he did it hard enough they wouldn’t disappear.
But the more he tried to hold on, the more they slipped through his hands like sand from an hourglass turned upside down. All the grains slipping down, counting down to the end.
He was losing something. Someone important.
No. Don’t leave.
He wanted to plead, cry, and cling.
But his body wouldn’t move.
“W̷̭̙̦̙̘̯̪̅̓͋̾̉̐o̴͓͈̦̙̓́̑̉͊ų̶̺̤̈́̏͌̀̉̔̚̚l̷̹͍̠͛̐͗͛́̉͠d̸͍̫͋̄̏̅́̃̿̑̈́̓ ̶̢̡͖̖͕̇̚ỷ̷̪͓̱̖̹̜̍̔͑̑͌̃͝ǒ̴̺̞̜̫̱͓̙̙̤͆̒͆̊̈́̐ú̷̟̙̝͈̻̾̓̋́̾̐ ̷͉͎͖͙̘͕̬̈̓̍̑̓͒̓͝͝r̴̢̦̲͎̲̝͙͕̳̮͊̋̐̍̊̇́̒e̴̯͚͖̥̓̎͐́̄̋̃̓̇͜͜͝m̷̨̨̛̜̺͔̪̪͉̖̆́̽̄͊͝͠è̵̘͇͔̠̙͔͈͉m̷̧̨̪͔͔̯̣͖̝͈̐b̶̤̤͍̱̝͉̍͛̋̍̿̂͗̈́̆̕ë̴̢̟͚̯́͊̓̑͗̀r̴͚̳̋͋̽͂ ̴̘̫͖̥͕̻̣͋̄m̵̡̻̤̯̲̙̂̀͛̐̀͗́͘͜è̶̝̗̪̥̱̻̀͌͐̆̅́͝,̷̨͙͎͚̝̺̩̻̪̍͒̇̀̈́̀̓̓̏͝ ̵̡̡͕̹͔̞͓̙͕̄Ṋ̶̢̼͍͚̹̘̤͗̊͊̄͂̊̕a̸̱͉̝̝͉͓̬̺̓̉̌̈̍͂̈͛̒͝r̶̡̦̟͖͔͉̫͈̹̫̈́̋̅̅̋͝͠u̶̡̧̺̤̙̜̳͈͂͊t̷̡̻̤̲̜̪̞͖̟͑̆̓͊͘͝ͅo̸̞͙͈̽͂͗̅̈̓̇?̷̹͚̞͕͈̮͉͓̰̓̌”
He could barely hear the words. Distorted and sharp like nails on a chalkboard, but also low like a whisper. The blend was uncanny and unbearable.
But he could hear his own reply. As if his mouth spoke on its own.
“No.”
His body still wouldn’t move. Like he was trapped, drowning in quicksand, wrapped in concrete. Held down so tightly he could do nothing but watch as part of his soul was erased.
“Sasuke!”
He jolted upright, his heart beating like a jackhammer. Each thud reverberated through his body. His throat was dry and hoarse, like he’d been choking on sand.
He shakily reached for a glass and downed it in one gulp. Then he grabbed his phone and checked the time.
9:34 p.m. April 18.
Two hours left till midnight when the deadline passed.
Two hours and twenty-six minutes until Sasuke was gone forever.
Fuck.
He unlocked his phone and opened Find My Phone.
His mom’s location blinked on the map, moving—hiking up the mountain again.
He could make it there in two hours if he hurried.
Grabbing a coat, he shoved his phone into his pocket and went downstairs. Stopping by the kitchen and then out the door. He got on his bike and took off.
The roads were dark, only a few streetlights to illuminate them, far and few between.
Within thirty minutes, he’d reached the base of the mountain, panting. His legs ached from pedaling hard, muscles burning as he slowed to a stop.
He pulled out his phone and checked the location.
The little dot blinked steadily on the screen, farther up the trail. Moving upward steadily.
Naruto’s grip tightened around the phone.
She was still climbing.
He shoved it back into his pocket and dragged in a breath, forcing his legs to move again. The path up the mountain was rough, uneven dirt and scattered rocks, winding into the trees where the light barely reached.
He paused at the second turn, then veered off the trail, cutting through the trees.
It was one of the shortcuts he used when he was younger, back when he didn’t feel like following the path.
Using his phone flashlight to guide the way, he stepped in. The ground was uneven, roots jutting out and catching at his feet as he pushed through. Branches snagged on his sleeves, scraping against his arms as he forced his way forward.
10:22 pm.
Naruto didn’t look back, focused only on moving. Even after years of not coming here, he still remembered the trail. He checked his mom’s location every few minutes.
He hurried through the woods when his shoe sank into something wet.
Like mud.
But it hadn’t rained in days.
He stilled, shifting his flashlight down.
The smell hit him a second later.
Rust.
The soles of his shoes were red.
His breath sharpened as he followed the trail of blood. A few steps ahead, a familiar figure leaned against a tree.
Next to him lay a body. A man. His throat slit, blood pooling and trailing all the way back to where Naruto stood.
“Itachi?” he said, shocked.
“Naruto,” the other man replied simply. “Have you decided?”
Naruto didn’t answer, but Itachi seemed to understand anyway.
Noticing Naruto’s glance at the body, he continued, voice even. “A serial killer. He’s the reason this started. I dealt with him.”
Naruto’s head buzzed with questions, but one glance at the time on his phone shut them all down.
“Are you…” he hesitated, eyes catching the deepening stain spreading through Itachi’s dark shirt.
“I’ll be fine. Go.”
Naruto gave a tight nod and hurried past him, pushing deeper through the trees.
In close to an hour he made it to where the location becocon on his phone showed his mom’s location.
A clearing on the edge next to a river that ran down the mountain.
His mom stood near a big rock nearby. Unmoving, standing there.
“Mom?” He called out approaching her.
Kushina turned slightly looking at him. Her momemvemnts almost mechanical in a way.
“Naruto? What are you doing here? You should be home.” She said. No hint of warmth or concern in her voice. Like she was repeating lines without knowing the reason behind it.
“Mom…” his throat felt clogged, eyes burning with tears. He stumbled closer to her weakly.
“Yes Naruto?”
Three steps away.
Two steps.
One.
He paused for a second, a tear dropped down his cheek.
“I’m so sorry.”
He pressed the knife, he’d hidden behind his back, into her stomach.
Hot tears rolled down his cheek blurring his vision.
Kushina’s eyes widened with suprise. The first emotion he’d seen form her in weeks.
He pulled it out and shoved it back in. “I’m so sorry!”
Blood spilled over his trembling hands, splattering across his face. He flinched but still forced the knife down again into her chest.
“Na… Naruto…” she choked, voice breaking under the weight of blood rising in her throat.
His eyes squeezed shut.
“Naruto…”
Her hand lifted weakly, fingers brushing his jaw.
He opened his eyes.
She was smiling at him.
Blood slipped from the corner of her lips, but her gaze, dull for weeks, was clear now. Warm.
“Naruto…I know…it’s okay…” she whispered, thumb brushing his tears away. “I… love you…”
His breath broke.
“Mom—”
She collapsed forward.
Her body went limp in his arms, like a puppet with all its strings cut.
“I’m sorry,” he choked out. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
He caught her as she fell, holding her tightly, sobbing into her shoulder.
He took the knife and cut his own hand. With trembling fingers, he pulled the paper from his jacket pocket and pressed it into her cold hands. Blood smeared between them like a promise. He folded her fingers around it, clasping them together over her stomach, and lowered her carefully to the ground.
He lay beside her and stared, the stress and tension from the past week finally collapsing onto him like a heavy weight.
It pressed into him, dragging everything down at once.
His breathing turned uneven, shallow. His eyes fluttered, lingering on his mother’s still features.
The life was gone from her body now, pale and empty in the faint moonlight.
He didn’t look away.
He couldn’t.
His hands twitched faintly in the dirt beside him.
So this was it.
His eyelids felt heavier.
The sound of the river blurred, slipping farther and farther away.
Fuck.
He really hoped it worked.
Naruto woke up tangled in his sheets, half hanging off the bed. His eyes cracked open, slowly focusing on the familiar shape of his room.
“Naruto! Wake up! You’ll be late for school!”
Rapid knocks echoed through the door.
School?
Wasn’t it Saturday?
He fumbled for his phone.
It didn’t turn on.
“Seriously…?” he muttered. “Technology sucks.”
He pushed himself up too fast, his ankle still caught in the sheets. He went down hard, crashing onto the floor with a sharp thud. Pain flared in his knees, but he ignored it, scrambling to plug his phone in.
He paused.
Looked down at his hands.
Clean.
No blood.
No dirt.
He looked down at himself. He was back in his bedroom in his pajamas. Like nothing had happened.
The phone buzzed faintly, the low battery symbol flashing before the screen lit up.
Monday, April 20.
His first thought—
Man, I really have to go back to school?
Then—
Holy shit.
The ritual worked.
He shoved himself up, yanking off his pajamas and pulling on clothes as fast as he could, half-buttoned, half-wrong, not caring.
He rushed downstairs.
Minato stood at the stove in a blue apron, setting pancakes onto the table.
Two plates.
Naruto stopped.
Minato looked up and smiled.
“Hey, champ. Sleep well? Hurry up and eat, you’ll be late for school.”
“Dad, I—” Naruto’s voice caught. “Mom…”
The word felt wrong in his mouth.
What was he supposed to say?
Sorry, I killed her? But she wasn’t really her, and Sasuke was going to disappear, and I couldn’t let that happen—
Minato’s expression softened.
“You dreamed about your mom again?”
Naruto froze.
Minato stepped closer, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head.
“I miss her too,” he said quietly. “I’m sure she’s smiling, watching over us.”
Watching over.
Naruto’s throat tightened.
“Now go on. Eat up,” Minato said, pulling back like nothing was wrong. “You’ve got school.”
He turned and walked away.
“Dad, did…” Naruto’s voice caught in his throat. “Did I ever meet her?”
Minato paused, looking back at him, confusion flickering across his face.
“Only when you were a newborn,” he said. “She died soon after.”
“…Right,” Naruto muttered.
His hands curled into the fabric of his pants.
His mom was gone.
Dead.
“Why are you asking?”
“Nothing,” he said quickly. “It just… feels like I met her. In a dream.”
Minato’s expression softened.
“I’m sure she loved you.”
“Naruto… I love you…”
The words slipped through his head, quiet and familiar.
Pain spiked behind his eyes, sharp and sudden.
If he hadn’t already cried himself dry, he would’ve broken down again.
“Thanks, Dad.”
He made it to school in a daze, sliding into his seat in the fourth row.
Someone was already sitting beside him.
“Excu—”
The person’s eyes lifted.
Naruto’s breath caught in his chest.
Dark eyes. Pale skin. Sharp, structured features.
Sasuke.
“…Dobe.”
“…Teme,” Naruto muttered automatically.
He was here.
Sasuke was here.
The thought didn’t fully land before Sasuke’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“We need to talk,” he said. “After school.”
That didn’t sound good.
“Naruto! Sasuke! Don’t start arguing so early!” Sakura scolded from the seat in front of them.
“When is it too early for them? They’re already arguing,” Shikamaru muttered.
Sai nodded seriously beside Ino.
“Like cats and dogs.”
“Don’t compare me to an animal. It’s all the usuratonkachi’s fault for being dumb.”
Naruto instinctively bristled, shoving past Sasuke to take his seat. “Me? You’re the one picking a fight, teme.”
But he couldn’t suppress the grin tugging at his lips.
Just being next to him. He felt complete.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, but Naruto still caught the subtle tension in his brow.
He wanted to smooth it out—so he did.
He lifted his hand and pressed his thumb lightly to the space between Sasuke’s brows, smoothing out the faint crease.
Sasuke’s eyes widened at the touch, startled.
But Naruto was too far gone to care.
His hand dropped down next, slipping around Sasuke’s hand and holding it lightly.
The way he’d wanted to in his dreams.
The way he never could.
But now he could.
School proceeded normally, boring, but with Sasuke next to him.
That alone filled the empty space that had been haunting his thoughts, and Naruto felt absurdly happy because of it.
Even so, his eyes kept drifting back.
The way Sasuke’s hair fell forward when he leaned down to take notes.
The sharp line of his nose from the side.
Like he couldn’t stop himself from memorizing him all over again.
When classes ended for lunch, Naruto stood up—but his wrist was caught.
“Wait.”
He shot Sasuke a questioning look, but stayed where he was. Around them, the rest of the students filtered out, one by one, until the classroom was empty. The door clicked shut behind the last of them.
Naruto leaned back against the wall beside the window. The breeze outside felt warmer, like the last of winter had finally started to fade.
“What did you do?” Sasuke asked at last, voice firm.
Dark eyes locked onto him, sharp and unblinking.
Really… the Uchiha were all the same. Itachi had looked at him like that too.
“Nothing?” Naruto blinked. “Why? What did I do?”
Sasuke scoffed. “Don’t play dumb, Naruto. You did something.”
“The last thing I remember—” he started, then stopped, eyes shifting away.
The last bit of Naruto’s patience snapped.
“The last thing you remember is sacrificing your existence to save my mom?” he shot back.
Sasuke flinched.
Then his glare hardened.
“I did it for you,” he said, curt and cold.
“I didn’t ask you to!” Naruto snapped back.
They glared at each other for a moment, tension thick in the air.
Then Naruto’s resolve started to crumble.
He stepped forward.
His hand lifted, cupping Sasuke’s jaw, forcing him to look at him—ignoring the surprise flickering in those dark eyes.
“Sasuke… I’d never ask you to sacrifice yourself for anyone. Even me,” he muttered, low and firm.
His eyes closed as he pressed his forehead to Sasuke’s.
“You mean everything to me.”
“But your mom?” he muttered quietly, insecure in a way that made Naruto’s heart ache.
“My mom is gone. That’s the truth,” he murmured back. “And you’re here. And I don’t regret it. Not now. Not ever.”
Sasuke let out a sigh, his hand sliding up to wrap around the back of Naruto’s wrist where it still rested against his jaw.
“…Idiot.”
He stepped in closer.
Then closed the distance between them.
Their lips met in a tentative kiss. Slow at first, clumsy without any experience from both sides but deepening as it settled into something real.
When they finally broke apart, Naruto didn’t even hesitate before leaning in again.
Sasuke huffed against his mouth, but didn’t pull away.
“Don’t ever leave me again,” Naruto murmured, breathing unevenly.
“I won’t,” Sasuke muttered.