A Different Path

Too Close

Sasuke's POV

"Why can't I come too?" Sakura furrowed her eyebrows.
"Because you're a medical ninja and so am I. I want you to stay here and help Shizune with the hospital while she takes care of the village in my absence." Lady Tsunade spoke slowly as if she was making sure that her student understood.
"But Lady Tsunade-!" Sakura stopped when Naruto flashed her a look from the corner of the office where he was laying against a wall.
"She's making you stay here because you're the only one she can entrust the village's safety to, excluding Shizune." He closed his eyes. "Besides, she has me, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Kakashi and an ANBU squad so she won't be in danger, Sakura."

The kunoichi frowned but nodded her head obediently.
"Don't worry, Sakura. You still have me." Sai gave her a closed-eye smile, making her crack knuckles. She did appreciate his company, though.
"You two are dismissed." Tsunade waved her hand as the two bowed and left the room, closing the door behind them. "Now, that we can talk properly, you three are being assigned to an escort mission. I could have simply taken my ANBU but I needed someone with distinctive attributes and skills for this job, including counseling." She rested her chin on her palms.
"I figured much. Who's the one who has called for this summit and why?" Kakashi leaned his weight from one leg to the other.

"The Raikage has recently been visited by some of Orochimaru's subordinates, and he isn't pleased by this new threat. I believe that he's trying to unite us, despite his pride." Those words had seemingly caught Naruto's attention but they sent a shiver down Sasuke's spine.
"Did they relay a message?" He pulled his hood down out of respect for the Hokage, to the raven's relief.
"Actually, yes. They hinted something about a war. That's probably what has driven the Raikage to take such measures." Tsunade sighed, her forehead creasing with worry. "I suspect that Orochimaru will show up at the summit in order to make his point. That's why I've asked you to come, Naruto. You know more about him than we do." The blond narrowed his eyes.

"What about them?" He tilted his head towards the two teens at his left. What does he mean? Does he not want us there?
"We are all aware of Shikamaru's intellect. And apart from his skills and visual prowess, Sasuke's goal is to keep you calm, since he's the only one who can control you like that." The Uzumaki flinched slightly upon admitting to himself that that was his weakness. But Sasuke was actually surprised. I'm able to do that? He barely even listens to me. He rolled his eyes inwardly. Shikamaru only nodded in agreement. "Very well, then. Although you have much more experience, I'd rather have you by my side, Kakashi. So I'll put Naruto in charge of the ANBU since they're already obeying his orders." Lady Hokage eyed them gently before she got up from her chair and walked over to the window behind her desk, her gaze seemingly moving over the people creating a ruckus on the street.

"Understood." Kakashi nodded as well.
"We'll leave tomorrow, at dawn. Prepare well. We don't really know what we'll encounter." The woman turned around with a small, sympathetic smile on her lips. Naruto pulled his hood back up, ready to leave. "And Naruto?" He stopped dead in his tracks. "You should take a look at these people outside. Something is up." She rasped as she sat down and grabbed a handful of papers waiting for her signature. The Jinchuriki hummed in response, twisting the door knob and leaving ahead of the others. He had glanced at Sasuke, letting him know that he was welcome to join him, which only brought some happiness to the raven's heart. He was slowly opening up to him. And deep down, the Uchiha knew that one day, Naruto will agree to stay, despite his greatest efforts to keep himself away.

"What the hell is going on down there?" Sasuke murmured to himself.
"I don't know. It might be a drunken brawl or something." Naruto replied, even though the other wasn't expecting him to.
They walked down the stairs only to see a mob of villagers who seemed to be fighting each other with angry looks on their faces.
"What's going on here?" Sasuke narrowed his coal-black eyes.
"They owe us money!" The people on their right exclaimed.
"You haven't done what we were going to pay you for!" The others yelled back. Naruto simply tilted his head slightly.
"We were on our way to the Uchiha Compound but I-!" One of the villagers jumped from his place to clamp his mouth shut with his hand, his fearful gaze flicking to the raven, who flinched. The Uchiha Compound? What do they have to do with that?
"What about the Uchiha Compound?" Sasuke gritted his teeth a his fists clenched slowly.

The crowd fell silent, and none dared to move an inch.
"You'd better start speaking and we might not kill you." Naruto's voice was deep and powerful, his eyes narrowed intimidatingly as some villagers whimpered silently. That made Sasuke feel somewhat protected. Seeing that they wouldn't budge, the blond's eyes turned red and linked to a brunet's mind, making him speak up, which only caused a wave of distress and fear amongst them.
"We were going to demolish everything inside the Uchiha Compound because the village needs space for other buildings."
He spoke in a monotone, robotic voice while the one next to him gasped. But Sasuke felt his blood boil. How dare they?!
"Does Lady Hokage know about this? Is she the one who has ordered you to do so?" The Jinchuriki kept his calm, knowing that he wouldn't solve anything by ripping their tongues out.

"Yes!"
"No." The man under his control cut the others' pleas.
"Shut up already!" The one on his right elbowed him but to no avail.
"We had intended to do it on our own. The village deserves to get rid of that putrid place." That was when the raven snapped. Partially unintentional, his Mangekyou activated, directed at the one who was speaking. In a matter of miliseconds, Naruto jumped in front of brunet and placed his arm over his head as it burst into black flames. Sasuke felt his breath hitch in his throat, worry and panic taking over him. But before he could calm himself down, a layer of red, bubbly chakra came out of the blond's skin and enveloped the flames, extinguishing them entirely. Naruto let out a breath while he raised his other hand to palm the slightly reddened area of his forearm.
Suddenly, a few yellow chakra tails erupted out of the ground, immobilizing the group of terrified villagers. As if on cue, an ANBU squad appeared at the blond's side, in front of the young Uchiha.

"Violation of the village's property without the Hokage's consent. All are to be judged for this." Naruto stated in a monotone voice as the squad leader nodded his head and took off with his members, dragging the culprits into their Body Flicker. The Jinchuriki sighed before the tails dissipated. Sasuke took a few steps closer to him and moved his fingers above the sore skin, making him hiss in pain.
"I'm sorry." He muttered apologetically.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it." The burning started to heal and soon enough, it was back to the sun-kissed color. "Just try to control your Sharingan, Sasuke."
That made the raven flinch for the second time. "No matter what happens, you can't just let your anger get the best of you and use your Amaterasu on anyone. If I hadn't know how to deal with that, I might've not gotten such a minor injury. And worse, that villager would've died and you'd now be under arrest." Naruto's gaze softened, fixating the other's clouded one.

"I know. It won't happen again." Sasuke muttered, his head hanging low with shame. "I'm sorry that I hurt you."
"I already told you, stop worrying about me. I'm fine." The Uzumaki's face drifted towards the sky. "It's getting late and we have to get up early tomorrow. Go home and get some sleep." He took a step away from Sasuke, leaving him frowning. But before he would disappear from his sight, Naruto turned around and to the raven's astonishment, he flicked his forehead gently, a soothing look in his deep pools of blue. Sasuke blinked twice just to make sure that he hadn't imagined it. And he hadn't. They gave each other a small smile just as the blond got engulfed by a black shadow, which disappeared right after.
That was what it took to make Sasuke acknowledge the fact that his mother was right about one thing.
Some cuts are just too deep for the scars to fade away.

______________________________
Heya! I'm sorry for the huge delay but I just couldn't find the inspiration or the time to write. Forgive me guys. I'm pretty stressed out with school and everything, so it'll probably happen again. Oh well.
Next time, on Naruto Shippuden:
'Ice Cold'
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~See ya!~
~Bella~
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