88. Why Are You Running?

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I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm being chased by Sasuke Uchiha, but I'm not panicking. Why? Because, believe it or not, I run faster than him.

...

Here's how it all starts. After Granny.. I mean big sister Tsunade heals Jiraiya-sensei's injury, we all head back to Konoha from Tanzaku Town.

The journey back is smooth with no twists or trouble, much easier than travelling home during a mission.

By noon, we reach Konoha. Tsunade and Jiraiya go straight to the Hokage office, while Sakura hurries home to report to her family.

Naruto, being Naruto, finds out through a phone call that Kushina has led a team on a mission, so the house is empty. With Hinata busy, he decides to tag along with Sasuke and grab a meal at his place.

However, once they arrive, Sasuke's mother informs him that on the day he was "kidnapped" by Naruto, his brother Itachi had taken leave to train with him.

But since Sasuke wasn't there, Itachi ended up spending the day with Izumi instead.

Naruto senses that things are about to go bad and tries to slip away quietly.

Sasuke, on the other hand, doesn't even catch his mom's next remark about Itachi spending more time with Izumi lately. His mind is fully occupied by one thought: he has missed an entire month of training & private time with his brother—all thanks to Naruto.

And so, there it is: Sasuke, furious and filled with regret, starts chasing Naruto down with Sharingan flaring red.

Feeling a little guilty, Naruto just runs.

"Why are you running? Why are you running!" Sasuke yells, his voice echoing through the streets.

"Why should I stop when you're chasing me?!" Naruto shouts while continuing to run. No way is he going to make this easy for Sasuke.

"If you weren't running, I wouldn't be chasing!"

"And if you weren't chasing, I wouldn't be running!"

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Like you can even catch me!"

...

The two shinobi dash through the alleys of Konoha, sprinting across rooftops, circling the village again and again. Sparks fly as their feet hit the ground.

Along the way, they run into Gai-sensei's Team of 3 and Kimimaro's group, who seem to get fired up by the sight of Naruto and Sasuke's wild chase.

Naruto could've sworn he heard Gai shout something about the power of youth.

After hours of high-speed pursuit, Sasuke's stamina gives out. He realizes, once again, that no matter how angry he gets, a regular human's endurance can't compete with Naruto's insane chakra reserves.

Exhausted and out of breath, he hasn't even noticed that his Sharingan has evolved during the chase.

"You... huff... better... stop..." Sasuke pants, barely able to stand as his pace slows.

"You done yet?" Naruto asks, equally tired but still pushing ahead. He isn't about to stop, not unless he wants to get beat up. "I swear, if I didn't feel a bit guilty, I'd have flattened you by now."

So Naruto keeps running, not daring to stop in front of those blazing Sharingan eyes.

...

Eventually, Sasuke collapses from exhaustion, leaving Naruto to carry him on his back as they head to Sasuke's house.

Naruto, unable to resist teasing his friend, mutters, "Why'd you go nuts? I didn't even know Itachi took leave to train with you."

"Hmph," Sasuke grumbles. He knows it isn't entirely Naruto's fault, and as much as he hates it, Naruto has good intentions.

"And, even if you did catch me, what could you do? I can't time travel, y'know. Plus, you've gotten a lot stronger this month."

"Hmph," Sasuke mutters again, trying to brush it off. He knows Naruto is right, but he isn't about to admit it.

"Hey! Are you you a girl? It's disgusting if a boy pouts, you know"

"I will kill you next time, Uzumaki!"

Naruto shakes his head. "Man, you are stubborn. You're always picking fights, and then you wear yourself out and make me carry you back."

"I didn't ask for a ride." Sasuke turns his head, too proud to admit defeat.

Naruto almost drops him right there. "Seriously? I haven't even carried Hinata yet, but I'm stuck carrying your sweaty, grumpy self."

...

When Naruto finally arrives at the Uchiha compound with Sasuke, they run into Itachi and Izumi, who are just saying goodbye.

"Brother?" Sasuke tries to get down but is too worn out to stand on his own. Naruto has to help him stay upright.

"Yo, little Sasuke, Naruto!" Izumi greets them with a smile. "You two seem close as always."

"What happened to Sasuke?" Itachi asks, noticing his younger brother's state.

Sasuke turns his face away, too embarrassed to explain.

Naruto, ever the bro, steps in. "Just some physical training. Pushed himself too hard."

Sasuke doesn't argue. After all, long-distance running *is* physical training, right?

"Let me take him," Itachi says, lifting Sasuke onto his back without breaking a sweat.

Sasuke doesn't resist, leaning against his brother, feeling his anger drain away.

Naruto, curious as ever, asks with a grin, "You two have been on a date or something?"

Izumi blushes instantly. "No! We just had a meal together!"

Itachi, always composed, calmly replies, "That's all it was."

Naruto, channelling his inner Kushina, narrows his eyes at the pair. "Really? 'Cause Aunt Mikoto told me, you've been spending a lot of time together lately."

Flustered, Izumi stammers, "W-We've just been... hanging out."

"Well, goodbye!" she says quickly, before rushing off, clearly embarrassed.

"Goodbye, Sister Izumi!" Naruto calls after her.

Itachi chuckles and turns to Naruto. "Take care, Naruto."

Naruto waves and makes his way home.

...

When Naruto arrives home, the place is packed. Tsunade has just finished checking up on Kimimaro's health.

Naruto had asked her to take a look at him for signs of his "bloodline disease," and apparently, Tsunade had taken it seriously.

Jiraiya and Minato are chatting on the couch, while Kakashi is reading one of Jiraiya's books—though not *Icha Icha Paradise* for once, but a collection of stories Minato has written.

In the kitchen, Karin is helping Kushina cook, while Haku is already setting the table. The atmosphere feels warm and familiar—just like always.

But then Naruto does a double-take.

"Haku? What're you doing here?!"

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