Naruto x Sasuke back together

Chapter 6

As Naruto finished dressing, I watched him carefully, trying to decide how much I should say. His confusion was palpable, and it weighed heavily on me knowing what had happened while he was in his dazed state. But Kakashi's warning echoed in my mind—telling Naruto could ruin everything.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I feel... weird. Like I've been running a marathon or something. You sure nothing happened?"

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. "Nothing too serious. You were poisoned by a dragon scratch, and you were acting a bit... off. But we took care of it."

He squinted at me, his blue eyes narrowing. "Acting off? What do you mean?"

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. What could I even say? He wasn't himself, not really. And yet, everything that had happened between us had felt so real.

"You were... more intense than usual. It was the Nine-Tails' influence, I think. But you're fine now."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "I don't get it. What did I do that was so weird?"

I let out a deep sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. "You were... kind of in a mating season."

Naruto's eyes went wide, his face turning red. "Wait, what?! Like, in heat or something?"

"Yeah... something like that," I said, my voice low. I wasn't sure how much more I could explain without making things worse. "It's because of the Nine-Tails. Kakashi explained it all. You don't remember because it's not really you—it's the fox."

Naruto blinked, clearly taken aback. "Man, that's so embarrassing. So, I didn't, like... attack anyone, did I?"

"No, no," I lied, keeping my face neutral. "You didn't attack anyone."

Naruto exhaled in relief, but there was still a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. "Good. I'd never want to hurt anyone, especially not you."

I felt my chest tighten at those words. The truth was that last night had been intense—too intense to forget. But now, with Naruto looking at me like nothing had happened, I wasn't sure how to move forward.

"You didn't hurt me," I assured him. "But next time, we're gonna be more prepared. Kakashi suggested keeping you... well, locked up when the Nine-Tails starts acting up again."

Naruto grimaced. "Locked up? Like an animal? That's messed up."

"It's just to keep everyone safe, especially you," I explained. "The Nine-Tails has a lot of power. We have to be careful."

He seemed to consider that, then nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, I don't like the idea of being caged."

"I'll make sure it's handled carefully. You won't be alone."

Naruto gave me a small smile, his usual playful glint returning to his eyes. "Thanks, Sasuke. I don't know what I'd do without you."

I forced a smile, feeling the weight of last night hanging between us. He might not remember, but I did. And it was something I wasn't sure I could forget so easily.

"Don't worry about it," I said, turning away to hide the conflict on my face. "We'll get through this."

But as I walked ahead of him, I couldn't help but wonder if things between us had already changed forever—whether Naruto would ever remember what we'd shared in that night of heat, or if it was better left buried, a secret between me and the Nine-Tails.

As the days passed, Naruto seemed to bounce back to his usual self, full of energy and optimism. He acted like nothing had changed, his bright smile and carefree attitude making it clear that he saw me as his best friend, just like always. But for me, things were different. Ever since that night, I couldn't shake the feelings that had been stirred deep inside me—feelings that I'd kept buried for too long.

We were training together one afternoon, just the two of us, when Naruto stopped, panting and grinning at me. "Man, you've been pushing me hard today, Sasuke! What's gotten into you?"

I looked at him, trying to hide the emotions churning inside me. "Just trying to make sure you don't get soft," I muttered, avoiding his eyes. It was easier to pretend that everything was normal, that I hadn't spent every night since that evening thinking about him, about the way it had felt to be close to him in a way I'd never imagined.

Naruto laughed, punching me lightly on the shoulder. "Well, you're doing a good job! You always keep me on my toes." He flashed me that easy grin, the one that had always been enough to make me feel like I could conquer anything—but now, it only made the ache in my chest worse.

To him, I was just Sasuke—his rival, his teammate, his friend. But to me, Naruto was so much more.

As we sat down to rest, Naruto leaned back against a tree, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I'm glad we've gotten closer, you know? It's been great having you as a friend after all the crap we went through. I mean, we're practically brothers now, right?"

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Brothers. That's all I was to him—family, someone he trusted and cared about, but not in the way I wanted. Not in the way I felt for him.

"Yeah," I said quietly, forcing a smile. "Brothers."

But inside, I was screaming. How could I tell him the truth? How could I admit that my feelings had gone beyond friendship, that I had fallen for him in a way that made it hard to even look at him sometimes? I couldn't risk it. If he found out, it would ruin everything between us.

Naruto leaned over, nudging me with his elbow. "You're acting weird today, Sasuke. You sure you're okay? You're not getting sick or something, are you?"

I shook my head, avoiding his gaze. "I'm fine. Just tired."

He shrugged, standing up and stretching. "Well, if you say so! Let's get back to training. I need to get stronger if I'm ever gonna beat you."

As I watched him, I realized that no matter how much I cared for him, Naruto would never see me the way I wanted. He was too full of life, too focused on his dreams and his bonds with everyone around him. And even if I did confess, it wouldn't change the fact that, to him, I would always be just a friend—a brother.

But despite everything, I couldn't stop myself from loving him. I couldn't stop the way my heart raced when he smiled at me, or the way my chest tightened when he called me his friend. And so, I stayed silent, knowing that it was better to be by his side as a friend than to lose him completely.

As Naruto ran ahead, calling for me to hurry up and join him, I took a deep breath and followed. Because even if he would never love me the way I loved him, being close to him—being his friend—was better than nothing at all.