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“Sasukeee.”
Sasuke is determined to stay at a normal pace on the way home.
“C’moooon.”
There’s no reason to hurry and certainly no reason to respond.
“Temeeeee.”
In fact, if he started running, the dobe would probably want to play chase or something.
“Sakura’ll pay.”
“She already gave up, idiot,” Sasuke snaps back. She and Naruto had both started hounding him as soon as they left the Mission Center, but even she wasn’t so rude as to try to follow Sasuke all the way home.
“I’m sure she’d gladly pay, if you would just agree to dinner. We’ll just swing by and pick her up.”
“You guys want to go to dinner after every mission. Why do you think I would agree today?”
“Because today’s your birthday.”
Sasuke grits his teeth. The one fact he tries not to think about is always the one that he can’t escape.
“I don’t care.”
“That it’s your birthday?!” Damned Naruto, he actually sounds affronted by this. “How can you not care?!”
“So I’m 13, big whoop.” Sasuke tries to calculate how much longer before he can slam the door in the blond idiot’s face.
“Yes, big whoop! Birthdays should be a huge deal!” Naruto begins heatedly. “Look, D ranks don’t pay much, but Sakura and I saved up enough to treat you. I’ll even let you pick the place.”
A huge concession, Sasuke’s sure.
“I thought you said Sakura would pay.”
Sasuke hears Naruto scuff his feet on the path and mutter, “She probably would, but I saved up some money, too.”
Literally, why would he do that? Does he think he's his friend? Sasuke’s not planning to give him anything for his birthday.
“I don’t want your money.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I want you to leave me alone.”
“You can’t be alone on your birthday!” Naruto tries to sling an arm across his shoulders again.
“Yes, I can." Sasuke aggressively shrugs him off again.
“What’s wrong with you!”
"Nothing's wrong!" Everything's wrong. But it's been like that for 5 years. "Stop asking!" Stop acting like you care. “You could never understand!” As if the class clown could possibly understand what Sasuke is going through. The dunce who can't take anything seriously for longer than a second, unless it’s a prank.
“Try me, teme! What could be so awful about your birthday?!”
“Today, I turned 13!” Sasuke whips around so fast that Naruto has to stop short or run into him.
Naruto scoffs and tucks his hands behind his head. “Yeah, I know how birthdays work,” Naruto grumbles. “I’m almost 13, too, ya know.”
“I turned thirteen,” Sasuke repeats, stepping closer. “That’s the age that HE slaughtered every single Uchiha in the village.” Naruto lowers his arms in surprise. “Except for me. Do you know why?”
Naruto shakes his head, speechless for once, but Sasuke is too heated to enjoy it.
“He said he wanted to ‘test his skill.’ He said he left me alive to get stronger, and then he’ll come test his skill against me.”
Now that Sasuke has started, all the words just keep flooding out.
“Do you think I stand a chance against him as I am now? I don’t even win every spar against you anymore! If my whole family was here, I wouldn't be capable of murdering them all! So how could I be strong enough to beat him, much less survive him?!”
Sasuke is suddenly aware of his chest heaving for breath. He hadn’t even noticed that his hands had curled into fists during his outburst.
Naruto steps closer. “Is that what strength is to you? Killing?” He cocks his head, blue eyes boring into Sasuke’s soul.
Sasuke looks away. “We’re ninja. What else could it be?”
“To be capable of killing an entire clan,” Naruto shakes his head. “If that's what strong is, I'd rather be weak any day.”
“Good for you!” Sasuke yells again. God, it feels good just to scream sometimes. “I can't afford to be weak! Itachi could come back any day and wipe out everyone I know again! I have to avenge the Uchiha and bring honor back to our family!”
“He wouldn't be able to beat Kakashi-sensei. And we'll make him teach us everything he knows! And then we'll go after your brother, all of us. You won't be alone!” Naruto presses, eyes shining with belief in the absolute truth of his words.
“That's stupid…” Sasuke shakes his head.
“We're Team 7. We'll stick with you, no matter what.”
It sounds too good to be true. He knows it too good to be true. Something in him still wants to believe him.
Is this a best friend?