Chapter Text
Sasuke had waded through swamps with Naruto, spent nights on frozen mountain passes, hidden in the shadows of glacier crevices and beneath the sand of the desert. Out there, a single misstep could cost your life.
And yet, all of it seemed safer than the slippery terrain of social gatherings. He felt as if he could sense their glances like daggers at his back.
God, he hated parties.
Laughter echoed through the room. Naruto’s laughter.
Sasuke scanned the small crowd that had gathered to celebrate the safe return of the Kazekage. At its center was Naruto, the sun around which a system of friends and admirers revolved. And far outside any orbit, Sasuke kept to his solitary path.
With a sigh, he took the last sip of his drink and turned to slip away from the party. No one would miss him.
But he hadn’t made it more than five steps when an arm slung around his shoulders, nearly making him drop his glass. He barely had time to scowl before Naruto snatched the glass from his hand, set it on a table, and took Sasuke’s hand instead.
“You’re not thinking of leaving already, are you?” he pouted as Sasuke shrugged. He tugged on Sasuke’s arm. “Oh, come on! The others want to talk to you too.”
„Doubt that.“
“That’s just because you never say anything!” Naruto shot back, undeterred, and managed to drag Sasuke into the lounge where Gaara, his siblings, and Shikamaru were seated.
The four of them had traveled together to visit Gaara’s friend, the Tsuchikage. On the way back, they had randomly run into Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto had decided to tag along – and somehow convinced Sasuke to do the same. Much like he’d convinced him to stay at this damned party.
The seating area was spacious – a brown leather sofa curved around a sleek sandstone table, drinks scattered across its surface. The group shifted to make room as Naruto plopped down next to Gaara.
“This cactus drink is awesome!” Naruto declared, raising his third glass of the night. Without Kurama, he’d probably be snoring in a corner already.
Sasuke smirked. He still remembered the night they’d tried to figure out how much alcohol it took to get Naruto actually drunk. They had succeeded, to say the least.
“I’m glad you like it,” Gaara said. “I’ll have a bottle sent to your room.”
“Really? You’re the best!” Naruto beamed.
Gaara nodded politely. Everyone but Naruto seemed to understand what he really wanted—to keep him here, even if only a little longer.
“When are you planning to return to Konoha, anyways?” Shikamaru asked, lazily swirling his drink in the untouched glass. “We could go back together.”
The mood at the table noticeably tensed. It was the first time anyone had brought that subject up so directly since Naruto and Sasuke had joined Gaara’s travels. But they couldn’t dance around it forever.
Naruto groaned. “Oh, come on! I’ve earned a vacation.”
“Your ‘vacation’ has lasted more than a year,” Shikamaru said, tone casual, but his gaze sharp.
Sasuke studied him, finding it difficult to read his intentions. Not that he particularly cared about his motives.
“He’s been working for Konoha the whole time,” Sasuke said, drawing all eyes to him. “As the Hokage should know.”
“Exactly! We’ve been reporting back to Kakashi about our missions,” Naruto added quickly. “Like that time we helped the flooded village! Or, uh, the documents Sasuke sealed so they could be delivered safely—”
“The documents the Hokage asked you to deliver to him personally. For security reasons.”
Naruto pouted, so Sasuke answered for him. “We were never officially assigned to any of those missions. Kakashi doesn’t get to dictate how we carry them out.”
Shikamaru sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Fair enough.” He hesitated, then added, “I just wanted you to know, Naruto, that your absence hasn’t gone unnoticed back home. That’s all.”
“Sasuke’s been gone longer. Did they notice that?” Shikamaru opened his mouth, but Naruto pressed on: “Are they going to declare me a rogue ninja too?”
Sasuke tensed slightly. He’d been officially pardoned before leaving Konoha almost two years ago. Shikamaru was smart enough not to mention that in front of Naruto.
Instead, he raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Don’t shoot the messenger.”
Gaara steered the conversation to saver teritory: “Where are you heading next, then?”
Naruto cast an uncertain glance at Sasuke. “We haven’t talked about it yet.”
“You could stay here for a while. Rest,” Gaara offered.
Naruto smiled. „Thanks, man. Sleeping in a bed every now and then is nice, I’ll admit.'”
Sasuke scoffed, “We’ve slept in more beds this past month than in the whole last year.”
Naruto shot him a glare. “That’s not thanks to you! The people in that flooded town were nice enough to host us, and now Gaara’s the one who invited us.”
Sasuke didn’t bother arguing. He knew Gaara’s generosity wasn’t meant for him. Instead of explaining, he took a sip of his drink. He wasn’t about to become the emotional translator for the two of them.
Temari leaned back with a sigh. “I envy you guys. We’ve got a ton of work ahead.”
“You can say that again,” Shikamaru muttered.
Naruto frowned. “Why? What happened?”
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. “Right. You’ve been living under a rock for the past year.”
“HEY—”
Before Naruto could start yelling, Temari answered, “In recent weeks, there have been repeated cases of missing children.”
Naruto’s face darkened. “That’s terrible. Any leads?”
Temari hesitated. “ We only heard about it ourselves a few days ago. The only thing we know so far is that most of them are from poorer districts and orphanages.”
Naruto’s expression grew sharper by the second. “So no one noticed sooner? The caretakers just didn’t care?”
A flash of anger crossed Temari’s face. “We weren’t here either. What exactly do you think we should’ve done?”
Their eyes clashed like colliding storm fronts. Shikamaru put a calming hand on Temari’s shoulder before things escalated. “There have been similar incidents in Konoha. We’ll investigate together, see if there’s a connection.”
Naruto clenched his fists. “So not just Suna, but Konoha too.” He stood abruptly.
Sasuke followed suit, stepping aside to let him out of the seating area.
“Naruto—” Gaara began, but Naruto waved him off.
“Forget it.”
Without another word, he left the table and was quickly swallowed by the crowd. Sasuke knew Naruto needed a moment to cool off so he waited until the banquet hall door slammed shut before leaving as well.
He understood Naruto. Neglected children were a personal issue for both of them. But it was just as personal for the equally orphaned Sabaku siblings. Gaara wouldn’t take this lightly, and Naruto would remember that once he calmed down. They had simply been away at the wrong time.
Soon after, Sasuke found himself in front of Naruto’s room. He knocked. No answer. He pushed down the door handle—it opened easily.
The spacious room was decorated in warm desert tones. Somewhere, their hosts had even found orange bedding for Naruto. His belongings were already scattered across the floor, despite having arrived only that afternoon.
Naruto stood at the railing, staring out into the infinite blackness of the desert. Sasuke stepped over a pile of scrolls and joined him.
Their quarters were on Suna’s outer ring. The city wall dropped steeply below them, a plunge into the endless dunes. The crescent moon hung low, too thin to shed any real light. Only a sliver of moonlight shimmered on the sand, hinting at the world beyond.
“Were they angry?” Naruto asked, uncharacteristically timid.
“No.”
Naruto sighed in relief. Despite his temper, he didn’t like bad blood among friends. Sasuke sank into the following quiet, the rustling of the wind on the sand the only sound. Then Naruto grew restless. Sasuke watched him from the corner of his eye and let him stew for a while.
“You want to investigate yourself,” he said at last.
“No one else seems to care!” Naruto burst out. “But you don’t have to come. I know Konoha is…”
“It’ll feel good to take better care of their brats than they ever did,” Sasuke cut in.
Naruto blinked in surprise. Then he grinned— radiant and bright like the Polar Star, even against the black nothingness of the desert. And Sasuke would follow him wherever he led.