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Naruto's entire life was built on clandestiny. He was forbidden to exist; and there existed laws to keep the origins of his life secret. He could not explain the violence he experienced as a young child for many years until Mizuki let it slip that Naruto was the Nine-tails jinchuriki. He was never supposed to have existed in this way. He was supposed to live a normal life, but there were still so many missing details-- so many missing parts to the story that Naruto still had no clue how he became the jinchuriki. Why it had been him- why the 4th hokage had chosen Naruto to seal the Nine-tails in, or who his parents were, or how it seemed the entire world knew that Naruto was the jinchuriki except for him. He had learned at a very early age that he was undesired. The orphanage hadn't wanted him, so at age 4, Jiji gave him his own apartment, and showed him how to do laundry and wash dishes, and how to properly clean wounds so when Naruto got hurt he could help himself, because that was another thing he had learned at an early age-- nobody wanted to help him. And since nobody would help him, he had to help himself. He was given money each month for groceries, but he could barely count, and adults were mean and took advantage of him, so he could hardly survive on the meager amount of money that remained after groceries. He often rewore his dirty clothes because the washing machine was just too tall and his stool just too short, and when his clothes ripped and inevitably fell apart, he sewed them back up because he couldn't afford new clothes.
As he got older, there were many people who stopped trying to feign kindness, who stopped sneakily taking advantage of the toddler who couldn't count and instead just outright said he would have to pay more than the rest of Konoha.
And then he just started living with Iruka-sensei.
And then Kakashi-nii came to join them.
It seemed, at last, there were people in the world that wanted him there, who could exist with the jinchuriki of Konoha like it was nothing, like he was no different than any other boy.
And then he made friends. He made friends with Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, and Kiba. Sakura-chan wasn't very interested in playing with him, but she'd come to play with their group, and at least she wasn't very mean, usually. And Sasuke never wanted to play with anyone, no matter how many times they tried to invite him. Hinata and Shino were both nice, but they were kinda loners. Naruto had invited them to play before as well, and Hinata would join, but she'd never ask to join them on her own, and Shino always said he appreciated the offer, but he'd prefer to play with bugs.
But Naruto didn't care who played with him, because even 1 person was better than being alone again. And even on days when everyone was busy, he had Iruka and Kakashi to play with. He was hardly alone.
But even when he was playing with everyone, like a normal child would, who hadn't been booted from the orphanage and left to live alone at age 4, who hadn't been forced to wear dirty clothes and eat upcharged food, the emptiness in his chest never went away. It was something that not even cuddling with Iruka or Kakashi or any of Kakashi's dogs got rid of. It was pressure in his chest, like pure sadness, like when it was dark outside late at night, and Naruto just wanted to be held and taken care of, but he knew no one would come. No one would dare touch him. They avoided him like the plague if they couldn't get the advantage over him. If a store owner couldn't upcharge him, he wasn't allowed in the store. If a parent couldn't come up with a decent excuse to keep him away from their kid, they'd unapologetically shoo him away like a dirty fly. There was a deep loneliness inside him, that he didn't think would ever go away. It reminded him of something Jiji had said to him, when he asked about some old scars of his that still bothered him,: "The deepest pains only go away in death." This was like that, then. The only thing that would make Naruto less lonely, no matter how many friends he gathered, no matter who took care of him, no matter how many people would smile in his direction, was the permanent liberation that was death.
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When Pervy Sage had come into Naruto's life, it was very hard at first. He was a piece of shit, a total pervert with no work ethic, and he didn't teach Naruto jack shit. He was an awful teacher, but he wasn't like the other adults Naruto had known growing up; he at least cared somewhat about Naruto's wellbeing, and he was really strong and well revered, so Naruto stuck by him. He taught him other things aside from Rasengan, and helped him hone his reading and writing skills, which had not been very good since he had basically taught himself how to read and write as a kid, and while Iruka had tried his best to help him, he was really their ninja course sensei, so it was a bit out of his area of expertise. He had, however, taught Naruto many things about seals, and how to write steadily and neatly to be able to make them. Pervy Sage taught him words, big words, and sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation. Reading had never made so much sense. When he saw how good Naruto had gotten at reading, how it was quickly becoming something he enjoyed doing, Naruto noticed there was a pained look in his eyes. He was sad that Naruto had not been able to read so well before. It was, objectively, sad, for a 12 year old to have taught themself how to read and write, but Naruto was the Nine-tails jinchuriki, and nothing was sad if it was him.
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While Naruto was gone with Jiraiya, he did a lot of thinking. He thought a lot about Sasuke, of how Sasuke would be there when Naruto came back, and they'd be closer than ever and happy together, and Sakura would be happy again because the two of them were home and together and happy. Pervy Sage made him do journaling, so he wouldn't be as upset being away from home, or something, but Naruto didn't miss Konoha at all. Konoha was violent, and ruthless, and had no love for him so he had no love for it. He missed the people there, of course, but Iruka and Kakashi, and all of his friends, they weren't Konoha. He wished he could build his own little town where he and all the people he cared about could live, where there were no bastards that upcharged him for food or shood him away or gave him dirty looks or banned him from existing. It would just be him and the people he liked, who liked him, and everyone would be happy. Konoha didn't deserve good people like them. And in this little town, he and Sasuke would be rid of the heavy burden that was loneliness. There, they wouldn't need to die to get rid of it. If they had each other, that was all they needed. He wrote about this in his journal, writing about how much he wanted Sasuke to see how similar they were. Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. He hadn't had a name for the feeling when they were children, but he knew what it was now: love.
Naruto supposes he's been in love with Sasuke for a long time. That maybe the jealousy he'd felt over Sasuke was really just a messier version of protectiveness. Or maybe it was jealousy, and it was also love, and protectiveness, and all the other things he felt towards Sasuke. It was definitely jealousy he felt at the fact that Sasuke was beloved by everyone. Sasuke had a name. Sasuke had skill and talent and, like an idiot, he relished in his aloneness, instead of taking up any of Naruto's offers for him to join their group in playing. Sasuke had not been forced into his aloneness, he had not been shoved into a deep, dark pit that he would never escape from until he died, he had not been forced into an empty shed of an apartment that was not warm and not clean and not welcoming to its only inhabitant, and had not been so easily abandoned by the only family he had ever known, dumped off like it was nothing. But Sasuke's situation had been anything but kind, or easy. It had been painful and grotesque, and Naruto sympathized, because he could tell how awful Sasuke had felt, and he would have done anything for Sasuke to feel less lonely, because that awfulness was one of the only things Naruto had ever been able to feel at all.
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Naruto read a lot.
But despite how much he had learned with Pervy Sage, he was far from a genius. He would never be on Shikamaru, Sakura, or Sasuke's level of smart. But he was intelligent in battle and he was now pretty well read. He knew how other people felt, and he knew a lot about animals. He read and read and read while he was gone, and he had liked reading books with lots of pictures of animals and fun facts about them when he was young, but recently, he had started reading bigger books with bigger words that talked about more sciency-type facts about animals. And, of course, he didn't grasp every single part of it, but he knew enough. Pervy Sage would take him to libraries whenever they were stopped in towns that had them, and they would just sit together and read. It was nice. Pervy Sage would ask questions about whatever Naruto read, what he had learned, or who his favorite characters were. But Naruto didn't do the same because Pervy Sage either spent that time writing his shitty books or reading other shitty books for inspiration, and Naruto really didn't wanna know about that stuff.
There had been a time, once, when Naruto was older and they were on their way back to Konoha, when Naruto decided to try reading a romance book. It wasn't the kind that Pervy Sage read or wrote, by any means, but he figured he couldn't knock the entire romance genre until he actually tried it. And it wasn't bad. It was sweet, really, and not something he normally would've read, but he enjoyed it. He had asked for simple recommendations from the clerk, and she'd delivered. He wasn't exactly sure why she had recommended that particular book, but he liked it so he wasn't complaining. He had been surprised, though, to start reading it to find out that unlike Pervy Sage's books, there was no female lead character, and the romance was between two boys. He wasn't opposed! After all, he lived with Iruka and Kakshi, and he'd explained what being gay was when he was still pretty small. But the boy the main character had a crush on was dark haired and mysterious, quiet, stoic, and strong, and acted like he didn't need anyone in his life, even though he obviously did. But the boy was also a bookworm, so the main character got his attention by reading all of his favorite books and quoting them.
---
Naruto had already gone into the book envisioning Sasuke as the love interest, and if he said he hadn't imagined himself as the main character, then he'd be lying. But would that tactic work in real life? If he came back to Konoha, and Sasuke was there, could he do something as simple as quoting something Sasuke liked for him to notice him? For Sasuke to realize that Naruto saw him for him, knew him deeply, deeper than anyone else, and didn't care about the same things that his fangirls did? Would Sasuke ever know that Naruto felt the same emptiness inside of him, no matter how hard he tried to get rid of it, that Sasuke insisted on feeling by himself?
Naruto had very quickly finished the book, taking note that in the end, the two boys did indeed fall in love and had a happy ending. He wasn't exactly sure a happy ending was possible for the two of them, but he'd be damned if he didn't want at least a temporary relief of his constant pain, especially if it was with Sasuke, and if Sasuke also felt better with him. But Sasuke was more of a practical guy. He didn't like silly books that didn't have deep meanings or that didn't make him ponder philosophy and question the world as he knew it. He liked classics and books that were more like textbooks than actual books. He was picky about fiction. But Naruto liked books like that too, even if they took him a bit longer to read. He liked pondering and deep meanings and philosophy. So he went to the classics section of the library, looking for something Sasuke would like. He didn't actually know what Sasuke had read, especially since he hadn't seen him in such a long time, so he just had to guess what he was at least familiar with. What would give him the best image? If Sasuke knew he had read this book, Sasuke would think he was deep, intelligent, and philosophical. That was the goal. He wanted Sasuke to think he was more than just classic, stupid Naruto.
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Naruto ended up checking out Romeo And Juliet. He's obviously familiar with the book, aware that it's beyond just a classic, aware of its impact on modern day. It's a very difficult read, something that not even years of reading with Pervy Sage could help. His copy has a translated version with it, so it's not a lost cause, and it does help quite a bit, but he really wants to read it in its original form, because who would expect Naruto to be able to read Shakespeare? This would totally get Sasuke's attention. He'd never think he was a stupid usuratonkachi again.
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When Naruto gets back, Sasuke is there. He's tall and handsome, just like Naruto knew he'd be, and Naruto is also taller and different looking. He's got piercings because he couldn’t stand looking at his blank face anymore. He deserves to look cool, he thinks. If people are gonna look at him like scum, he wants to give people a better reason to stare. It shocks everybody he sees, and Ino and Konohamaru both fuss over how different he looks. His little brother thinks he's cool and tough as hell, and insists he'll get piercings like him when he's older, but Naruto thinks he'd chicken out because of the needles. Ino thinks the piercings suit him, that he's always been different than everyone, and has always stood out against the crowd, and the shiny metal in his face reflects his true personality. Sasuke is shocked, Naruto can see it in his face, but he acts like he's not surprised. He's just as cold and untouchable as ever, and that doesn't surprise Naruto in the slightest. But he hopes he's glad to see him again.
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It's awkward, later, just the two of them at the park, staring into each other's eyes. It feels intimate, like a moment more akin to one from one of Pervy Sage's novels than from real life, but this is real, and so are they, and so are the people around them. They're not just the kind of puppets Naruto imagined while doing his journaling or dreaming while he slept, imagining how excited everyone (sasuke) would be to see him again, thinking he was so cool and smart and tough now. They aren't shadow clones, they're the real deal. "You look different." "Yeah, I do. Cool piercings, right?" "They suit you." "You think?" This is what he had wanted to hear! "How was traveling? Did you do any training or did you just slack off the whole time?" Naruto laughed, his hands sweaty, and his entire being unsure and not ready for this conversation. "I mostly did a lot of reading and writing, if you can believe it. I didn't really learn many new skills, but I seriously refined my basic skills. Isn't that cool?" While Sasuke never let much emotion show on his face, he let slip a bit of shock, like he was surprised at this. Naruto hoped it was because he was expecting Naruto to flaunt a bunch of new skills, rather than because he didn't think Naruto was capable of doing such basic skills. "I see. I didn't realize... You seem different, too. You're more mature and relaxed. I didn’t think that was possible. You're usually loud and boisterous, I didn't realize you'd seriously go back to basics. But clearly it's done you some good." As Sasuke said this, Naruto's heart raced. Was this an insult or a secret compliment? What did he mean by this? Was Naruto's plan crumbling because Sasuke just seriously doesn't like him? Would the crippling emptiness never lessen, because Sasuke didn't want his to, and Naruto's couldn't without Sasuke? Because Sasuke was an Uchiha; perfect, unflawed, mysterious, stoic, strong, and unable to see a version of himself that wasn't an avenger, who wouldn't be the one to kill his brother to avenge his clan. No, this was all Sasuke saw himself as. This was all his future entailed, all he wanted, and all he would allow for himself.
"They dragged me back, you know. Kakashi-sensei told me a bit about you when you were younger, before team 7, how you changed his life, or something. He said I didn't need to worry about my brother, because there were better things coming, but I think that's bullshit. But I'm here anyway, so you should be grateful." "Kakashi is right. You're allowed to have bigger goals for yourself than just killing your brother and avenging your clan. He might be wrong about the other stuff, though. No matter how many people decide to hang around me, the awful feelings never go away. But you and I understand each other, Sasuke." Sasuke turned away, thoughtfully. "Do you? Understand the way I feel? My brother left me alive for a reason, Naruto. I don't expect you to understand." He looked back to see Naruto's pained expression. "I do understand, though. Being the only survivor, of having to live with the pain of knowing everything could've been normal. Neither of us had to end up this way. We could've been normal. I know how you feel better than anyone, Sasuke! I'm the Nine-tails jinchuriki, I've been dealing with the same kind of thing since I was born! Nobody understands you better than me." Naruto wasn't sure if Sasuke had really known that he was a jinchuriki. He had undoubtedly known that something about Naruto was not normal. He had seen Kurama when he fought against Gaara so long ago, but he and Sasuke had never really talked about what had happened. It wasn't really all that difficult to figure out, though. "Is that why people disliked you so much? Because you have the Nine-tails sealed inside of you?" He nodded, "Yeah. For a long time, all I had was the pain of knowing nobody wanted me, and I had no clue why. You know they legally weren't allowed to tell me that I was the jinchuriki? I had no family and no friends, but I had this burning anger inside me; the Nine-tails. This isn't your destiny, Sasuke. The perpetual rage that feeds your desire to kill your brother-- it won't last forever. Jiji told me once that the deepest pains only go away in death, but I think that if there was anything other than death that could make the pain go away, it'd be you. And I could only hope that I could help make your pain go away." Sasuke looked taken aback by Naruto's confession. This wasn't a casual, half-assed confession; this was years of built up feelings that Naruto had never been able to say. "I can't... I don't..." "Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet. Tis but thy name that is my enemy; thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would-- were he not Romeo called-- retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, and for that name, which is no part of thee, take all myself." Naruto had been memorizing this speech for months since he had read the book. It was long and difficult, and he honestly didn't remember what half of the words meant, but he knew exactly what it meant altogether, and this is what he needed to tell Sasuke. If Sasuke was Romeo, an Uchiha, Naruto was Juliet, the Jinchuriki. His voice was shaky and unsure as he recited the speech, and Sasuke looked horrified, and he really hoped it didn't scare Sasuke too much.
But Sasuke left after that.
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Sasuke ran out of the park, far away from Naruto, and through town until he found the Yamanaka Flower Shop. He stormed in and walked to the back door that led to the Yamanaka clan's household. "Ino! Ino, get your ass out here! It's important!" A clan member that Sasuke had never met and didn't care about looked at him funny, like he was rude for trespassing and causing a disturbance. But they didn't understand his situation. He kept walking until he found the main complex that Ino and her immediate family lived in, knocking on the door harshly. Inoichi eventually answered the door to him after he repeatedly called out for Ino, slightly disgruntled and annoyed that Sasuke was here. "Inoichi-sama, Ino is home, yes? It's urgent, I have to talk to her." The man sighed, "Yes, she's in her room, but Sakura is here too, you know. Her room is the first door on the left, just past the kitchen." Sasuke didn't thank him, simply moving past him and going deeper into the home, desperate for Ino's guidance. He didn't bother knocking on her bedroom door, simply barging in to see Ino lounging on her bed and Sakura painting her nails on the floor as they chatted, before they started cussing at him and screaming. "What the hell are you doing here, Sasuke? Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Said the girl he'd come here looking for. "No. Ino, I need help. Actually, Sakura, you too." He closed the door behind him and sat down next to Sakura, not even bothering to take his shoes off. Really, he was supposed to have taken them off when he first entered the house, but he was already being incredibly rude today, and he could stand to continue until his nerves were settled. He couldn't decide if Ino looked unimpressed at his rudeness or excited that he was coming to her for help. Sakura just looked annoyed that he messed her nails up. She flipped her ponytail, "This better be good." "What do you do if your crush quotes Romeo and Juliet at you?" Ino's brows furrowed in confusion and Sakura's lips quirked, and they looked at each other, silently trying to figure it out. "I thought you had a crush on Naruto?" Said Sakura, one of the few people who seemed to get how Sasuke functioned, and was, at least, not stupid and managed to notice that he liked Naruto more than he let on. Ino did not seem shocked, because she was good at reading people and good at digging up the truth, no matter how deep it was buried. She had to, he supposed, given what the Yamanaka Clan's notable abilities were. Less aimed at Sasuke, and more at Sakura, she said, "But Naruto doesn't know Shakespeare. He probably couldn't figure out the first line of Romeo and Juliet, let alone everything up to Act Two!" "No, it was Naruto. He had the whole thing-- the whole thing-- memorized. He was telling me all about the reading he did while he was away." Ino and Sakura were both taken aback. "Naruto? Reading? Reading Shakespeare? Are we sure that's the real Naruto that came back?" Sasuke growled, "Yes, Ino, it was Naruto. He's not a complete moron." "No, no, I know-- I just-- Well, he's Naruto. He failed the Genin exam like three times, he's never been very bright. He totally failed the written part of the Chuunin exams, too. It's surprising, is all!" He glared at her while she defended herself, all too aware of Naruto's juvenile stupidity. But he had grown so much, in many ways, over the past few years. He deserved credit for his accomplishments. Sakura finally chimed in after this. "Well, what part did he quote?" "The 'what's in a name' speech. All of it. The whole 'deny thy father and refuse thy name' thing." He didn't dare explain the context to them-- that they had been talking about their feelings and death and aspirations. It was too personal. Sakura craned her head forward, very confused and in shock, and Ino's jaw fell open. "Are you serious? Sasuke, Naruto is clearly in love with you! That's also the famous balcony scene, isn't it? Like, that's the declaration of love!" But Ino perked up again, "Well, Romeo and Juliet isn't really a love story. The entire plot is that they're starcrossed lovers! I mean, I agree that Naruto is trying to confess to you, but, like, if he read the whole thing then he'd know it's not really a love story. That just makes it kind of sad..." But Sasuke knew what Naruto meant with it. The way he thought that Sasuke could replace death in lessening his pain, he had to think that there wouldn't be a happy ending for them, either. "What did you say to him afterwards? You did respond, didn't you?" No... he didn't. "No... I came here instead." Both girls went ballistic on him, then, telling him he needed to go back and talk to Naruto, to tell him that he loved him back, that he'd stay for him. But how could he do that? Ino got up, grabbing him by the arms and pulling him up and out of her bedroom, insisting there was time to fix this; that he wasn't allowed here anymore unless he went back to talk to Naruto.
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Naruto's apartment was the first place he went. Iruka-sensei answered the door, surprised to see Sasuke, and told him that Naruto was in his room. Sasuke slid past him, having no time to chat with his former sensei. He needed to see Naruto. The boy in question's door was covered in decorative caution tape he probably grabbed off the street, and other warning signs stating no entry and no trespassing signs were covering it too. Unlike at Ino's house, he had the courtesy to knock on the door. He was nervous, he needed a minute to prepare. There was what sounded like the ruffling of fabric, which he assumed meant Naruto was getting out of bed. His feet pattered on the floor as he got closer, then the door rattled slightly-- and then Naruto and Sasuke were face to face again. Naruto looked shocked for just a moment, surprised to see Sasuke instead of Iruka or Kakashi. "Sasuke... What are you doing here?" He coughed slightly, awkwardly trying to think of things to say. "I needed to talk to you. Can I come in?" He opened the door more and Sasuke made his way in, settling himself on Naruto's bed. His room had not been changed since he had left, although there was no reason why it would've. He hadn't even been here that many times. But there were posters, several of them lopsided, and more caution tape and road signs. There was a rolling cart filled with art supplies; spray paints and acrylic paints, beads, scraps of fabric and metal and all kinds of things Sasuke had no clue what the hell Naruto would do with. But Naruto had always been an artist. Sasuke had just never bothered to see past the annoying graffiti. "What... What did you want to talk about?" Naruto knew damn well what he wanted to talk about, but he sat next to Sasuke anyway. "Earlier. I shouldn't have left you like that without saying something." Something about Naruto made him look almost sick at that moment. "No, no! It was totally my fault; I just said all that shit like it was nothing and it made you super uncomfortable, I'm really sorry! I- I wanted you to think I had changed a bunch while I was gone and that I'm smart and mature and stuff now, but I'm really not so..."
Sasuke had known Naruto for a very long time. He had always known Naruto wasn't really stupid. Back when Sasuke was idiotic and believed he was above everyone and everything, he rarely bothered to see past what Naruto wanted people to think of him. Naruto had always known that if everyone was going to hate him for something he couldn't control, then he'd let them hate him for something he could. And Sasuke had fallen for it. And there had been times, occasionally, when Sasuke had seen Naruto for what he really was, like when he saw that their elementary school teacher didn't care to teach Naruto like everyone else. He'd answer any other kid's questions but not Naruto's, leaving him confused and guessing. But Sasuke hadn't done anything or said anything. Or when Naruto damaged school property, the same kinds of things Sasuke had seen other kids do but get away with, because Naruto was easier to punish. And Sasuke had just watched. But now Naruto was saying he wanted people to like him. But while Sasuke had sat and played half-heartedly in the dirt or read a book, he saw Naruto play with everyone. He saw that everyone else thought he was fun to be around; they liked him. The people who really mattered already knew how smart and funny and great Naruto could be; they'd known for a long time. Sasuke had always known it, for years, even if he had decided he didn't care and Naruto was an obstacle in his way of getting stronger and defeating his brother. The only person who needed to know how incredible Naruto was and didn't already was Naruto himself.
"I know you did. You were never stupid or anything. You have changed but you never needed to. Everyone likes you either way. I like you either way." "They- you do?" "Yeah. I needed to talk to Ino and Sakura after I left. They told me to come back to you." "Oh. I'm glad they did." "Why did you decide to recite Romeo and Juliet? It's not really supposed to be a love story. It's a tragedy. I liked it either way, though." Naruto lit up for a moment, then looked a bit confused. "It's totally a love story! Dying for someone is, like, the ultimate display of love. Romeo loved Juliet so much his only thought was 'I don't wanna live without her'. He was under the assumption that Juliet was dead, and maybe it was a little stupid that he didn't wait to check, but he was so distraught that the only way he knew this would end was if they both were dead. It was the only way they would be together; in death. And when Juliet woke up and saw that Romeo was dead, she was so distraught and in love that she killed herself, too! Couldn't you imagine being so in love with someone that you would rather kill yourself than live without them? That you would have no doubt, no fear of dying, nothing holding you back from doing it, because you're that in love? It really is the ultimate love story, don't you think?" And again, Sasuke had nothing to say. He could imagine it. He had done it once, after all. When they had fought Haku so long ago, Sasuke hadn't thought anything other than 'I'd rather it be me than Naruto' and 'as long as Naruto can live' when he took those senbon for him. He had loved Naruto so much, even back then, that he'd been willing to die for him.
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"I would die for you, Naruto." "I would die for you, too. I want us to die together some day. Can we do that?" Sasuke really didn't know what to say to that, but he blushed furiously and nodded. Naruto looked very relaxed and leaned over onto Sasuke, and they adjusted themselves so Naruto was lying on top of Sasuke's chest. They'd both be happy if they died just like this. If their love for each other couldn't fix their pain, then they could at least die together one day. If Sasuke was Romeo, an Uchiha, Naruto was Juliet, the Jinchuriki. They would die together, and all of the deep-rooted pain that came from their legacies would go away. Sasuke would no longer be an Uchiha, and Naruto would no longer be the Nine-tails jinchuriki. They'd live together in the afterlife and understand each other's past burdens better than anyone else could ever hope to.
Theirs would be the ultimate love story.