Naruto x Sasuke back together

Chapter 27

The mission had been simple enough. At least, that's how it had started. A small village in need of help, a group of bandits causing trouble, and Naruto and Sasuke sent in to clean it up. It was a task they had done countless times before, but there was something different about this one. The village was peaceful, almost serene, and the people seemed so grateful just for the presence of two shinobi willing to protect them.

After dealing with the last of the bandits, they were heading back to the village when a small, trembling figure caught Sasuke's eye. A little girl, no more than six or seven, with wide, frightened eyes peeking from behind a wooden fence. Her clothes were torn, and her small hands clutched a stuffed rabbit as if it were her lifeline. She hadn't been caught in the chaos, but the look of fear on her face made Sasuke pause for a moment.

Naruto was the first to notice her. With his usual warmth, he knelt down, his bright smile instantly calming her. He reached out a hand, speaking in soft, reassuring tones, coaxing her from her hiding spot. "It's okay, we're here to help. You're safe now."

Sasuke stood off to the side, watching with a subtle frown. He never could understand how Naruto did it—how he could approach anyone, especially a child, and instantly make them feel at ease. It was something that Sasuke didn't have. His own walls were far too high, too well-built.

But Naruto, with his open smile and kind eyes, was a natural at this. The girl reached out tentatively and took his hand, her small fingers wrapping around his. Sasuke watched as Naruto gently scooped her up into his arms, cradling her as though she were the most precious thing in the world. She clung to him, her face burying into the crook of his neck as if she had just found a safe harbor after a storm.

Naruto's voice was low and comforting as he spoke to the girl, his large hands brushing through her messy hair. "You're alright now. We'll get you home, okay?"

Sasuke stood there, frozen for a moment. Something stirred inside him, an unfamiliar warmth that he quickly buried beneath his usual mask. He couldn't help but notice the way Naruto's eyes softened, the way his body naturally adjusted to the little girl in his arms as if he had done it a thousand times. Naruto was so at ease with her, so natural, it made Sasuke's chest tighten.

The thought flitted through his mind—an impossible one that he quickly pushed away: What would it be like to see Naruto holding his child like that?

It wasn't something he allowed himself to dwell on, but the image wouldn't leave him. Naruto, looking down at a child of his own, that same warmth and tenderness in his eyes. The kind of softness that Sasuke could never bring himself to fully show, even if he wanted to. And even if he did—he knew deep down that it would never happen. Not with the life he led, the path he had chosen.

He looked away, his gaze shifting toward the horizon, trying to dispel the warmth that was creeping up his neck. But the image of Naruto holding a child, a future that could never be, lingered like a shadow. Sasuke gritted his teeth.

Naruto had always been the one to fill the spaces Sasuke had left hollow. The gaps in his life, the ones he hadn't known were there until Naruto came barging in with his loud, insistent presence. Seeing Naruto like this, so naturally good with the little girl, made Sasuke wonder—maybe, if things were different, if the world wasn't the way it was, if they could have a life like that too.

"Alright, little one," Naruto said, his voice warm with a chuckle. "Let's get you back to your parents."

Sasuke's gaze softened as Naruto turned toward him, the girl still nestled comfortably in his arms.

Sasuke couldn't help the small, bitter smile that tugged at his lips. Maybe this world wasn't so bad after all, as long as Naruto was there to make it a little brighter.

But still, the thought lingered—what would it be like to see Naruto holding their child? Sasuke knew it was impossible, but a small part of him wished for it anyway. It was a fleeting, bittersweet wish, one he would never speak aloud, but one that would quietly echo in his chest long after they left the village behind.