Missing Limbs

It could’ve been me, y’know,” Naruto says through a mouthful of ramen. Sasuke cocks an inquisitive eyebrow at him, waiting for him to swallow and go on. “It could’ve been me who left Konoha, I mean,” he clarifies. “Joined up with Orochimaru and all, on a power and revenge spree.”

Sasuke frowns. “No, it couldn’t have,” he says. “You’re…you. You would never.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Naruto squints at him.

“I mean, you’re…” he gestures to all of Naruto. He never used to be this speechless. He still isn’t. But then, he is being confronted with this whole thing right now. He feels a lot of things and there are some things that he won’t take back, but he does feel bad about some of it. “Konoha’s golden boy. Jichuuriki of the Kyuubi. Yondaime’s son…which is still fucking weird, by the way.”

Naruto makes a face at him like he can’t stand him. “You know they’re just proving my point,” he says. Sasuke thinks he’s grown up a lot. Maybe not in all the ways that would’ve mattered when they were twelve, but changed, regardless. “Everyone hated me. I never liked it here until…well…” he shrugs.

“I didn’t hate you,” Sasuke finds himself saying. “You were just. Really annoying.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Naruto snorts. Sasuke kicks him in the shin, and surprisingly, the blond doesn’t kick him back. “The point is, being all those things doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have. It could’ve easily been you and Sakura-chan looking for me. And it probably would’ve been worse because of being…y’know. He probably would’ve taught me to harness that power in the worst way possible.” He pauses. “Also, you used to be the golden boy.”

Sasuke grimaces. He’d never liked being so admired. “You’ve really thought about it.”

“Duh. When your best friend beats you to shit and then leaves for years, it makes you think.”

He sighs. “I didn’t mean to be that brutal.”

If this were any other situation, he’d have quipped back, you can think? and earned a smack from Naruto. If he were younger, he’d have punched the guy right back. Sasuke’s a bit older and infinitely more tired now. He can’t keep picking fights with Naruto. God knows what message that would even send, at this point.

He half-wishes he still hated Itachi. At least then he’d have something or someone to blame, but it is true that he was an angry, grieving kid who dealt with it in all the wrong ways. Wishing the adults did better isn’t going to change the fact that he hurt people he cares about. Itachi, even Danzo, can’t be held responsible for all of it.

“You so fucking did,” Naruto points his chopsticks at Sasuke. “If it weren’t for the fact I literally have a demon fox inside me, you would’ve fucking killed me.”

Sasuke decides not to mention that at the time, it was his aim to kill—at first. Looking back, half the things he did back then were so ridiculous. He’d have been happy to just…continue going on missions with the squad, or whatever. If he hadn’t…even if it involved ridiculous cat ears and stupidly endearingly annoying cat-speak from their village’s supposed future Hokage. Even if he had annoying fangirls and adults who tried to decide what Sasuke’s quietness and bright talent meant, always on about the clan’s demise, but never…