(Naruto The Last Movie AU)
After returning from his 2-year redemption journey for an emergency mission, Naruto and Sasuke are forced to confront their feelings for each other. Naruto believes his feelings for Sasuke are just wishful thinking, while...
I call after Sasuke one more time, but he continues to ignore me.
Me, Ayumi, and Sakura stand outside of Ichiraku and watch as Sasuke disappears into the crowd.
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"Was it something I said?" Ayumi asked, still holding my arm.
Sakura turns to us and takes in what is happening. I watch as her face transitions from confusion, to analyzing, to realization, to irritation.
"And who are you?" Sakura asks, crossing her arms.
Intimidated, Ayumi finally lets go of my arm and nervously laughs.
"Um, I just realized I have some friends waiting on me," Ayumi says. She turns to me.
"See you later, Naruto-kun." She leans over to...kiss my cheek? I'm not sure, but I reflexively pull away before she could. She immediately looks at the ground in embarrassment.
"Right...I should've known, I'm sorry," she says, her cheeks turning bright pink.
She quickly runs away. I feel bad for not calling after her, but my mind was too preoccupied with Sasuke.
I turn towards Sakura, who immediately punches the back of my head.
"Not you too, Sakura-chan!" I cry out. "Why is everyone mad at me all of the sudden?"
"You idiot! You couldn't have told one of your fangirls to piss off just for one day at least?" Sakura says, balling her fists again.
"What are you talking about? She just wanted to eat ramen, ya know! Who am I to deny someone such a God-given gift?" I say, shielding my face in case she hits me again. She facepalms and sighs.
"God, you are so dense. She could've eaten ramen at any other time of the day. That girl likes you, Naruto. You're the village hero for Heaven's sake! All those fangirls have crushes on you. And you just let her ruin your chance to talk to Sasuke, idiot!" Sakura says.
Shit. She's right. She crosses her arms as she watches my eyes widen in realization.
"I'm gonna go after him. Are you still waiting on Hinata? I don't want to leave you alone," I say. If it's one thing Sakura taught me, it's manners.
"Go after him! I'm gonna go check on Hinata anyways, she's been taking a while," she says, shooing me away.
~
"Sasuke!" I look around the isolated parts of the village. I create shadow clones to help me look faster. Hmm...if I was a broody emo guy with one arm, where would I be?
Finally, I see him sitting atop the Great Hokage Stone Faces. I sigh. This dude is so dramatic.
It takes me a while, but I finally climb to the top and appear behind him.
"I could use some help, ya know!" I groan.
"Kick rocks," he says without turning around. Damn. He must really be mad.
I sit down next to him, looking up at the night sky. He continues looking straight ahead without acknowledging me.
"I'm sorry. I should've told Ayumi to leave. I just wanted to be nice, but I should've asked if it was okay with you firs-"
Sasuke smirks. "I don't care about your fangirls, loser. I'm glad you're getting the village's acknowledgement. You deserve it," he says, continuing to look straightforward.
"Oh," I say, looking down to hide my flustered face. How pathetic I look, insinuating that he was jealous. I resist the urge to jump off the cliff in embarrassment.
"Then what's wrong?" I ask. He sighs, shifting his gaze up to the moon.
"You ever feel like no matter how much you try, you can't escape this deep, unlikeable part of you? Like this dark side of you that follows you, no matter how you try to change?" He looks at me, half-expecting an answer, but slightly chuckles when he sees my face.
"Hn. Well I expected as much. I guess it's just an Uchiha thing. The Curse of Hatred, or whatever Tobirama said that day. I guess it's just one of those things that follow you until you die," he says.
I follow his gaze at the moon and chuckle.
"Naruto, I swear to God, chuckle one more time and I'll push you off this cliff right now," Sasuke says.
"No! Wait! I mean...I wasn't laughing at you, I swear!" I say immediately. I continue speaking. "Look, I don't know much about this Uchiha Curse of Hatred or whatever," I say, picking up a flower. "But a dark, unlikeable side of me? Following me everywhere I go? I mean come on Sasuke, I'm literally a jinchuriki. Give me some credit here," I say, letting the flower go and watching it fall off the cliff.
Sasuke thinks quietly for a moment.
"The village despised you and yet you continued to work hard for their acknowledgement," Sasuke says. "You don't resent them? How do you overcome that kind of hatred?" He asks me.
"Well, same way I overcame my own Tailed Beast's hatred," I say, smiling.
"Talk no jutsu?" Sasuke answers sarcastically.
I hear Kurama scoff inside me.
"With love, silly," I say. Unsatisfied, Sasuke rolls his eyes.
"Well I don't know how to do that, loser."
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "Even you're capable of love underneath all that broodiness, ya know."
Sasuke stays silent for a moment before he responds.
"What if I don't feel any of that love? Especially for a world that doesn't...love me back?"
I feel a pang in my heart. I turn to him as he continues staring straight ahead, avoiding eye contact. I sigh.
"Then I'll personally stick by you until you can learn to love the world again."
Sasuke finally turn towards me and smirks in response.
"Hn."
We both continue to sit together in silence for a long moment when I notice an envelope sticking out of Sasuke's jacket pocket. I recall it was the same envelope that fell out of Sasuke's bag earlier today. Before I could ask him about it, however, we hear Sakura calling after us.
Me and Sasuke turn around, seeing Sakura panting after climbing all the way up here.
"Sakura-chan? What's wrong?" I ask. "If you've come to scream at me again, Sasuke and I already made up," I say.
"Wha-? Not that, you idiot! Hinata is in trouble! One of the Otstutski guys is here, and they're trying to take her!" Sakura exclaims. "We have to help her!"
