Chapter Text
He can feel himself floating, in darkness. Not falling, not raising, just suspended in an endless void. He opens his eyes, he knows something’s wrong. The hand that once bore the shining mark of the Sage of Six Paths is gone. Not just the hand— the entire arm. And yet there is no pain. No warmth. No cold.
is this what death feels like?
Did Sasuke kill me at the Valley of End?
A shiver ran down his spine.
He always said he was ready to die for Sasuke, he just never imagined dying alone. He thought Sasuke would be beside him. He thought that maybe the afterlife would free them from the prophecy, from hatred, for the name of their names they were force to drag in life. He thought they would finally rest. Together.
Sudents flickers of light started surrounding him. At first Flickers, then dozens, he couldn't even adjust his eyes to the light. The void trembles violetly, shaking abruptly, following the beat of… a heart?.
Thump
Thump
It was his heart, his heart was beating. His eyes snap open. Sakura is leaning over him, tears streaming down her face, defibrillator paddles pressed to his chest.
_________
Naruto’s POV
I blink trying to make sense to it, i was dead.
Sakura lets out a strangled sound and throws herself at me in a crushing hug. That hurted like a bitch, everything hurted. I remember, it hurt so much because Sasuke beat the shit out of me. As she hugs me, crying, I can see we are in a hospital.
I look to the sides, trying to find Sasuke, i can feel his chakra being near, but there’s no sight of him.
“Sasuke?...” My voice comes out rough, my throat was dry.
Sakura pulls back, wiping her face quickly.
“He’s in surgery”
Surgery?
I swallow. “Why?”
Her eyes flick downward. I follow her gaze to my arm. My right arm is gone — replaced by something bandaged and unfamiliar.
“Lady Tsunade finished your procedure up before you coded, she’s now working on Sasuke” Sakura says quietly
I try to sit up. A nurse helps me, pressing a cup of water into my hands. My lips are dry. My chest aches.
“How long have I been out?” I ask easily, now that my throat doesn't hurt. It was probably dry from an intubation, my lips were dry as well.
“A little bit over a week”
“Has Sasuke woken up yet?” I ask, impatiently.
She hesitates. “Naruto… Because of the Kyuubi you’ve been recovering faster. You’ve barely even have any bruises left” She studies my face as if confirming it. “Sasuke will be out for at least another week”
“And what about this?” I point with my left hand the prosthetic right arm bandaged over my body “Who signed off on this?”
“I did”
Lady Tsunade steps into the room, drying her hands.
“I decided it was for the best, you two are one of the most talented shinobis alive, I wont let that go to waste because of… whatever that was…” Her jaw tenses
“What’s going to happend to Sasuke?” i ask anxiously biting my lower lip.
“That depends on him.” She meets my eyes evenly. “Rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
She left before i can argue.
The days on the hospital were slow. Visitor came to se me , the ‘Hero of Konoha’. People that i’d never met sent me flowers, hand written letters. It helped fill the emptiness, but I couldn’t help wondering what my life would look like from now on.
Sakura, Shikamaru, Choji, and the others visited me in the days I stayed at the hospital. “Konoha is getting back on its feet” they said, but the grief still lingered in their voices. So much was lost.
It was really hard being the golden boy feeling as empty as i felt. The purpose of my life, my most important branch in my ninja path, was now lying in a hospital bed on an IV drip. I visited him everyday, quietly watching him. It brought me a strange feeling of peace but also uncertainty.
“What will you do now, Sasuke?”
Although i hated being in the hospital, leaving it wasnt any better. I often found myself going back to it at night, just to make sure Sasuke was still there, that he hadn’t left.
That he hadn’t disappeared again.
A few days later Tsunade called me into his office. When i opened the door Kakashi was also there.
“Naruto, we need to talk about Sasuke” She begins. I tense, but mananage to nod. “in the Last few days we got together with the other Kages and they are not pleased about him, they believe he should be locked up for good”
“What—”
“Naruto” he says, calmly, as if his calmness was going to help me. “Listen.” I clamp my mouth shut
“That’s what the Kages want, but i’ve been here with Kakashi the last few days trying to find another solution. Sasuke is a war criminal, a national terrorist, and the murderer of the passed Danzo, who was sooned to be Hokage” i swallow and look away frowned
“Although these things cant just be ignored, it is true that he fought bravely in the last ninja war, and might contributed, as Kakashi said, to ‘saving the world’ “
Then she reads out loud a page of his notebook “Sasuke Uchiha, being the younger brother of Itachi Uchiha, the man that sacrificed himself to stop a civil war in the interest of Konoha, shall be granted immunity to certain extend for possible misdemeanors or questionable acts he might do in the future”
She removes her glasses, crosses her hands over the desk and rests her head on them “Now, Those crimes exceed ‘reasonable extent.’ But this was written in the will of Hiruzen Sarutobi. Taking into account everything just said, we’ve come to a conclusion with Kakashi and the kages” She says and looks at Kakashi, who looks at me.
“Dont drag it any longer, what’s gonna happen to Sasuke?” My hands are shaking
“He will not be imprisoned.”
Relief crashes through me—
“But he will not be free either.”
I freeze.
“Sasuke will do ‘charity work’ by joining the ANBU squad and working for the state, until his good intentions can be proven” her gaze becomes more serious “But, you will have to be by his side, that was the Kage’s condition”
“By his side? Like joining him in missions?” i ask, still confused. Kakashi answers me this time.
“The primarily reason that Sasuke isnt locked away right now is you, Naruto. We knew you wouldnt allow it. And since you’ve basically dedicated the last years of your life trying to get Sasuke back, we know there’s no chance you’re going to let him out of your sight” Kakashi explains
“We’ve seen you going to the hospital at night, Naruto” Tsunade says dryly, and my face turns red “falling asleep by his bedside in the hospital, we know”
“What Lady Tsunade and i are trying to say” Kakashi cuts Tsunade off, and tries to say trings more calmly “We know you’ve always cared about Sasuke, and we think you might me afraid he’ll leave again, so, you’ll be his… his oversight, so to say”
“So what does this mean? my new job is to be with him on his missions?”
“No —” Kakashi answers
“You’ll be by his side all the time naruto, the Kages don't even want Sasuke to go to the bathroom on his own, let alone ‘outside Konoha’ missions” Tsunade adds
“You’ll just need to keep an eye on him, to make sure he… behaves, you know?” Kakashi says, i can see a smile form in behind his mask. I’m still not sure about this, but it seems that i dont have a choice if i want Sasuke to be free.
“Okey” its the only thing i can say. My mind is racing with how or what to do, and if Sasuke is even going to be on board
“Dont you have any questions?” Tsunade asks
“No, just—” i say, serious “One more thing. I’d like to be the one who speaks to Sasuke about this”
“Not possible, we need to thoroughly explain his situation to him, to make sure he understands where he stands and what he has to do from now on”I She replies immediately. It doesn't seem that its up for discussion
“Can you at least not tell him i have to follow him everywhere?”
Kakashi and Tsunade look at eachother, then the silver haired sensei answers “As long as you dont neglect your job, we can keep this information from Sasuke” I nod, and I breathe out.
As the meeting concludes Kakashi walks me back to my house.
“Lady Tsunade fought for days with the Kages to get this deal, you should be thankful” He says, calmly as usual.
I know deep down that I should, but I also wish the world could see Sasuke with my eyes, the man he truly is. I shake my head, still angry. “I know that, but… Sasuke also risked his life out there against Madara and Kaguya, and you saw it”
“And that’s one of the only reasons he’s still alive Naruto, not many people want him around, if it hadn't been for his sudden change of heart and your strong support he’d probably be locked away or worse” he says, and looks up “Sometimes, just sometimes, things are better than they seem” then he looks down.
I hadn’t asked Kakashi about his loss and how he was handling it, damn i hadn’t asked anyone. I was so lost thinking about Sasuke that I didn't realise how much Konoha had actually lost in the war. I tried touching the topic with Kakashi but he doesn't seem interested in having that conversation right now, so I respect his space.
The walk home was now quiet. We say goodnight and i’m left alone in my house, alone after being ‘promoted’ to Sasuke oversight. How the fuck is Sasuke gonna accept an Escourt? god he’s going to kill me, for real this time. I pinch the bridge of my nose trying to think, but why does a stupid smile keep forming on my face?
___
I’ve had like a thousand internal fake conversations with Sasuke on how to break the news to him in the last few days while waiting for him to wake up, and not a single one ends good. ‘Perhaps i’ll just not tell him at all… yeah that sounds good. I mean i’m already intense as fuck so he might not even realise it’ i think to myself on the way to the hospital, Sasuke was coming out of his sleep and i wanted to be the first person to see him.
When i get there i’ve been out of the hospital for more than a week now. I greet the nurses and the staff as i make my way into Sasuke’s room, i could walk there with my eyes closed from the ammount of times i’ve been there over my stay.
When i got there, some doctors were cheeking his vitals while talking with each other and behind them, some black locks of hair peak out, moving. I sprinted over him only to freeze right in from of him. Sasuke was here.
Sasuke was here, in Konoha. He still had some bruises from our fight, and his new arm was bandaged tight against his chest.
He looked up and met my gaze, his was as serious as ever. After all this time there was really nothing to say to each other?. I grabbed a chair and sat beside him, and he just stared, at me and my arm right arm.
“So—” i say lightly “I guess its a tie then?” i joked and laugh, but i was extremly nervous being around him. His response was silence. I have always dreamed about the day that Sasuke was back in the village but… now that we are here i have no words for him. Sasuke just looks at me, unfaced.
Thank god that Sakura came in after i said that, because it was uncomfortable. She was about to jump and hug Sasuke but regreted it at the last second and just stood beside him.
She swallowed and was visibly nervous too. “How are you feeling Sasuke?” The Raven looks at her, expressionless
“Fine, can I leave now?” His voice as serious as his gaze. I open my eyes wide, my stomach drops. Sakura looks at me searching for help.
I scratch the back of my neck with my right hand and smile wide “Sasuke c’mon, you just woke up! Let Sakura at least check that arm up Dattebayo!” I say trying to hide my nerves, i think i failed because Sasuke frowned even more.
“I said I'm fine” He said looking at me.
Right on cue, Tsunade and Kakashi walked in. How could Sasuke’s face be so undisturbed?
“Sakura, Naruto, we need to speak with Sasuke, would you give us some privacy?” Lady Tsunade says, i planned on arguing but Kakashi looked at me practically begging me not no, so i just nodded and walked out.
Outside of the room Sakura was bitting her fingernails anxiously.
“What is going to happen if… If Sasuke—” i swallow “if he refuses?” I murmur
“They’ll lock them away and meet with the other Kages again, to decide the next step” She answers, eyes fixated on the floor.
The hallway clock ticked for minutes that felt like hours. I knew they had a lot of ground to cover but how secret was it? why couldnt i be in there? shouldn’t i know? i’m the one in charge of keeping an eye on him for fucks sake.
The door unlocks and Kakashi invites us to come in again.
Sasuke was laying down looking at the roof, eyes narrowing, visibly upset. Tsunade was arm crossed looking at the window.
“So?” i was the first to talk, to nobody in particular, just wanted an answer
“Sasuke will be joining an ANBU squad specialized in near-town S-Ranked missions” Kakashi said, Sasuke’s jaw clenched.
“And since Konoha was recently destroyed, again…” Tsunade murmurs the last part “Sasuke will be staying with Naruto until we can find somewhere else to place him” I opened my eyes in surprise just for a second, but then it became obvious, i had to watch Sasuke day and night, of course he would stay with me. Sasuke seemed specially bothered by that last part “And will be discharged from the hospital today” Sasuke’s hand tightened in the sheets,
“Lady Tsunade isn’t it too soon?” Sakura interrupts her, then regrets it when Tsunade’s gaze met hers
“He will rest in Naruto’s place for a week before starting with ANBU. If he’s stable, there are other people who really need this bed in the hospital” And she was right, as i came here i saw the hospital was still packed. “However—” she continues “He will come for daily checkups this following week to be cleared for work” We all just stay silent, why am i so silent all of the suddent?.
I glance at Sasuke. His eyes shift from the ceiling to meet mine, sharp, assessing. Frowned as always but there was… a lingering doubt in them, something about them felt like words unsaid.