In rock and a hard place

5 - The choice

Naruto POV: I took my time thinking about Itachi's offer when I heard a knock at the door. Opening it, I found Sasuke standing there. "Hi, Sasuke. What's wrong?" I asked, noticing that he was nervous. "I was wondering if you would like to get out of your apartment and come with me on a hike."

Sasuke POV: I knew I was nervous, but I wanted to surprise Naruto with a little picnic in the woods away from the village since he basically never went anywhere unless he needed to. I hoped he'd appreciate the gesture and that it might help clear his mind. "Sure, Sasuke," Naruto replied with a smile. "A hike sounds good." As we walked through the village and out towards the forest, I couldn't help but steal glances at Naruto. He seemed deep in thought, more so than usual. I wondered if something had happened, but I didn't want to pry. Not yet, anyway. Once we reached a clearing in the woods, I stopped and set down the picnic basket I had been carrying. "I thought we could take a break here," I said, trying to sound casual. Naruto looked around, surprised. "You brought all this?" I nodded, pulling out a blanket and spreading it on the ground. "Yeah, I figured you could use a change of scenery and some good food." Naruto sat down on the blanket, still looking a bit bewildered. "Thanks, Sasuke. This is really nice." We sat in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the food and the sounds of nature around us. Finally, I couldn't hold back my curiosity any longer. "Naruto, is something bothering you? You seem... distant." Naruto sighed, looking down at his hands. "It's nothing, really. Just got a lot on my mind lately." I frowned, knowing there was more to it than that. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Naruto looked up and gave me a small smile. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Sasuke. I appreciate it." I decided not to push him any further,I wanted to earn his trust. Instead, we spent the rest of the afternoon talking about lighter things. For a while, it seemed like Naruto was almost he old self again back when we attended the ninja academy and I could see some of the tension easing from Naruto's shoulders. As we packed up to leave, I made a silent promise to myself. Whatever was bothering Naruto, I would be there for him, ready to support him whenever he was ready to share. Because that's what friends do. And I knew, deep down, that together we could face anything.