NOBILITY | 𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒! 𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐎

LOST CHAPTER | NARUTO & SASUKE'S

this was supposed to be posted in summer of 2023.....ahaha...so yes there's probably a shift in my writing because half of it was written in 2023, and sproadically till now

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LOST CHAPTER THREE: SEA DAY — NARUTO'S CHAPTER.

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PRIOR TO THE UCHIHA DOWNFALL— PRE NARUTO

THIS CHAPTER FOLLOWS THE EVENTS BEFORE "A MOTHERS LOVE"

At the age of 6, Naruto had never really experienced much of holiday traditions as an orphan. It was just always him, on his own, and even the friends he thought he had been snatched away from as soon as their parents found out about the friendship they had with Naruto. But it all seemed to change after he met her. [Name] Uchiha-Hyuga. She was so welcoming to him, and her mother wasn't like the other parents who looked down on him. He felt protected around them; he felt like family.

It had been little under a year since he had officially met the girl, and at every celebration that swooped through Konohagakure, he found himself with the two females for the given holidays. And so, another tradition had flown down upon them, Sea Day. It was a holiday that occurred every third Monday in July, that partook in the appreciation of the sea that surrounded the Lands. The Uchiha's females had plans of going to the beach that wasn't too far of the outskirts of the village to celebrate such with other families and partake in the fireworks celebration that night.

Naruto usually spent this time trapped inside the walls of the village, looking out of the window of his home to see the fireworks from a far distance, as he wasn't allowed to go outside the village without the guardianship of an adult with him. He found himself ecstatic of taking the chance to finally leave the confines of the walls he had stayed in between and enjoying it with his favorite person ━ , which inadvertently ended up turning into a trip with more than just his favorite person. "What is he doing here....?" Naruto side-eyed Sasuke from his doorway. [Name], her mother, Sasuke, Itachi & Shisui all stood at the door of Naruto's apartment to pick him up and set off for the beach.

He wasn't expecting a GROUP of people to come along, and respectfully, he had no issues with Itachi or Shisui, his beef had been with Sasuke most of the time since Sasuke held some sort of grudge towards Naruto, the grudge and beef had been returned to Sasuke. [Name] stood at the doorway with a huge smile on her face, whilst Sasuke, on the other hand, couldn't contain the disappointment on his. "It's a family tradition!" and the huge smile on her face wasn't going away, even with the disdainful looks from her two closest friends.

Naruto grumbled for a moment in Sasuke's direction, before his attention focused back to [Name]. He had to buck up for the adventure, Sasuke wasn't just a slight inconvenience to it, but it wasn't for sure about to ruin his day. So the Uzumaki grabbed his backpack that he had packed and sat by the door, swinging it over his shoulders before he gleamed a smile in [Name]'s direction, thumbs up before looking over at Sasuke again with a quick glare, that returned to a gleaming smile again once in [Name]'s direction.

"That's the spirit!"

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He couldn't understand why Sasuke was always around. Why did he always take the attention away from Naruto to him whenever [Name] was around? Of course, they were really close, but it annoyed him. Sometimes he just wanted [Name] all to himself; she was the only real friend he felt he had, and he didn't want that taken away from him. 

Sasuke didn't say much on the journey. He was quiet, as always, arms crossed and brows furrowed as they walked along the dirt path just outside the village gates. [Name] walked between them, humming some cheerful song and talking animatedly to Itachi, who actually responded with a ghost of a smile here and there. 

Shisui kept making jokes, spinning a kunai on his finger, while Mina trailed slightly behind them, carrying most of the bags and tossing an occasional warning glance at Shisui when he got too loud. Naruto's eyes flicked to Sasuke again. He was always there. He didn't laugh at [Name]'s jokes the way Naruto did. He didn't light up when she smiled. But he got to be around her all the time. "Hey, [Name]!" Naruto called out, jogging a bit to catch up and walk beside her. "Do you think we'll see dolphins today?!"

"I hope so!" she grinned. "They say this time of year, they come close to the shore to feed. Maybe we'll even get to see the baby ones." Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and Naruto beamed—right up until Sasuke spoke from behind them. "Dolphins aren't going to show up with this much noise." He shot a flat look at Shisui and Naruto both. Naruto turned, narrowing his eyes. "Oh yeah? And what are you, a dolphin expert now?"

"I just know not to yell at the ocean like an idiot." Sasuke retorted back slyly, "Then stop following us and go whisper to some rocks or something!" Naruto snapped back, hands on his hips. "You're literally in my family's tradition," Sasuke muttered under his breath. "Guys, seriously?" [Name] said, exasperated, stepping between them. "Can we just not do this today? Please? I want this to be fun."

Naruto looked away first. Sasuke grumbled something unintelligible. But they both nodded. "Fine," Naruto mumbled. But deep down, the heat in his chest didn't go away. He hated how Sasuke could get under his skin with just one sentence.

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The beach, when they arrived, was breathtaking. The sand was warm beneath their toes, and the sea breeze ruffled their hair as the waves danced rhythmically under the sun. Children laughed and ran through the surf, families gathered under colorful umbrellas, and the smell of grilled fish wafted in from the food stands near the dunes.

Naruto forgot his grudge for a moment when his eyes widened at the shoreline. It was everything he had imagined from behind the village walls and more. "Woahhh..." he breathed, running straight into the waves with a yell. [Name] chased after him, laughing, and soon even Shisui was joining them, splashing them both with great dramatic sweeps of water. Sasuke lingered closer to shore, arms crossed again, but watching them all with a hidden flicker of interest in his eyes.

Mina and Itachi sat beneath a large umbrella, watching over the group like silent sentinels—Itachi with his usual unreadable gaze, and Mina with a soft smile as she read a book. [Name] turned back toward Sasuke from the surf, waving her arms. "Come on, Sasuke! What, afraid of getting your hair wet?" Naruto snorted. "He's scared the ocean's gonna drown him in attitude!" Sasuke sighed deeply, but finally, slowly, walked toward the waves. He wasn't about to let Naruto have all her attention. Not today.

As the sun began to set, the group gathered around a small campfire, eating grilled skewers and waiting for the fireworks to begin. Naruto sat close to [Name], knees pulled to his chest, smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder. The first firework lit up the sky in a burst of gold. Naruto's eyes widened as the sparks reflected in his gaze. "I've never seen them this close before," he whispered. [Name] smiled sleepily beside him. "Told you it'd be worth it."

Sasuke sat across from them, watching the same sky, but his eyes occasionally drifted to where she sat next to Naruto. There was something unreadable in his gaze. Naruto noticed. And even though the jealousy stirred faintly in his chest again, it wasn't as sharp this time. He had today. He had this memory. And for once, he wasn't alone.