Chapter Text
The first thing Sasuke noticed when he woke up was the pain. It was dull but deep, rooted in his bones like a wound too old to heal properly. His left arm, what remained of it, throbbed, and he gritted his teeth against the hollow ache. The ground beneath him was damp, sticky with blood and dirt. His blood. Naruto’s blood.
Slowly, he forced his eyes open. The sky above was dull gray, dawn struggling to break through the storm clouds. The air smelled like iron and rain, the aftermath of their battle still clinging to the earth.
And then, he heard it.
A weak, ragged breath.
Sasuke turned his head, ignoring the protest of his muscles, and found Naruto lying beside him. Unmoving.
His heart clenched. “Oi,” he rasped, his throat dry from blood and exhaustion. “Naruto.”
No response.
Something cold crept up Sasuke’s spine. He could see Naruto’s chest moving but barely, each breath shallow, struggling. His body was a mess of cuts, burns, and bruises, but Sasuke had seen Naruto bounce back from worse. This wasn’t just exhaustion. Something was wrong.
He forced himself upright, hissing at the pain that lanced through his body. He barely registered the missing weight of his left arm—there were more pressing concerns. Naruto’s chakra felt… off. Too weak. Too unstable.
Sasuke clenched his fist. “Damn it, dobe. Wake up.”
Nothing.
For the first time in years, fear coiled in his gut.
Sasuke reached out with his remaining hand and shook Naruto’s shoulder, harder than necessary, just to get a reaction. A groan. A twitch. Anything. But—
Naruto didn’t move.
His breathing hitched, uneven, and Sasuke swore under his breath. His fingers curled into Naruto’s tattered jacket, gripping tightly as if that alone could keep him anchored here, alive.
“Don’t you dare,” Sasuke muttered, voice sharp, but his hands were shaking. “Don’t you dare pull this shit now, Naruto.”
Still, nothing.
A gust of wind blew through the valley, stirring the dust and the scent of blood. The statues of their ancestors loomed above them, silent witnesses to their destruction. It should have been over. They were supposed to go back to Konoha together, just like Naruto always wanted.
So why did it feel like Sasuke was about to lose him?
Footsteps. Fast, urgent.
Sasuke’s head snapped up just as a blur of pink and green rushed toward them.
“Sasuke-kun! Naruto—!” Sakura dropped to her knees beside them, hands already glowing with chakra as she pressed them against Naruto’s chest. Her expression twisted in horror. “His chakra is—oh god, it’s—”
“What’s wrong with him?” Sasuke demanded.
“I—I don’t know,” Sakura stammered, her voice shaking. “His chakra is leaking, but it’s not just his. It’s—Kurama’s.”
Sasuke’s blood ran cold.
As if on cue, Naruto’s body jerked, his back arching slightly before slumping back down. His breathing grew even more erratic, his lips parting as if he was trying to speak. Sasuke leaned in, heart pounding.
“…Sasuke…” Naruto’s voice was barely a whisper, a ghost of sound between them. Sasuke hated how weak it was. Naruto had never been weak.
“I’m right here, dobe,” he muttered.
Naruto’s eyelids fluttered. His gaze was unfocused, but he was looking at him. Not at Sakura, not at the ruins around them. At him .
Something inside Sasuke cracked.
“I think…” Naruto swallowed thickly, his voice hoarse. “I think I messed up.”
Sasuke wanted to shake him. Wanted to yell at him for saying something so utterly stupid when he was lying there dying. But he couldn’t—because the fear had sunk its claws too deep, and Sasuke couldn’t lose him again.
“Yeah, you did,” he said instead, his voice rough. “So don’t you dare die here. That’s an order.”
Naruto exhaled a weak chuckle. “Since… when do I take orders from you?”
Sasuke felt a lump rise in his throat. “Since now.”
His grip tightened on Naruto’s jacket, fingers digging into the fabric as if sheer willpower could hold him together.
Sakura’s chakra flared brighter. “We need to get him back to Konoha, now,” she said, panic edging her tone. “If this keeps up, he—he won’t survive the night.”
Sasuke refused to accept that. His heart pounded violently in his chest, each beat echoing like a death knell. His hands trembled as he hovered over Naruto’s broken body, his fingers curling into fists to steady himself. Blood soaked through Naruto’s clothes, staining the earth beneath him, a stark, horrifying reminder of just how close he was to slipping away.
No.
Sasuke’s vision blurred, and he squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to let the tears fall. Refusing to admit how terrified he was. How helpless he felt. This was Naruto. The idiot who always charged ahead, who never knew when to give up. Who made promises he’d die before breaking. Who believed in Sasuke even when no one else did.
His rival. His best friend. His everything.
The world couldn’t exist without him. Sasuke’s world couldn’t exist without him.
He had walked away from Naruto once. Had convinced himself that it was for the best, that power and vengeance were more important than the bonds he pretended not to need. He had severed those ties with his own hands, watching the pain in Naruto’s eyes as he did.
He’d hurt him. Over and over again. Had thrown his loyalty back in his face, had fought against him with every intention of destroying him. And still... Naruto never gave up on him. Never stopped trying to bring him home.
How many times had he turned his back on that outstretched hand? How many times had he let Naruto carry the weight of his sins?
And now...
Sasuke’s chest tightened painfully, a hollow ache that made it hard to breathe. Seeing Naruto like this—broken, bloodied, teetering on the edge of death—it was unbearable.
Because deep down, he knew.
This was his fault.
If he hadn’t left, if he hadn’t chosen revenge over the one person who always believed in him... Naruto wouldn’t be here now, fighting for his life. He wouldn’t be lying on the cold, unforgiving ground, his breaths shallow and uneven, his life slipping away with every passing second.
Sasuke’s hands clenched so hard his nails dug into his palms, pain shooting up his arms. But it was nothing compared to the agony tearing through his heart.
He had walked away once, but not this time.
This time, he’d stay. He’d fight. He’d save him.
Even if it meant breaking every rule, making every sacrifice.
Even if it meant selling his own soul to save him.
Because losing Naruto... it would shatter him. Destroy him in ways he’d never recover from.
Because Naruto was the light in his darkness, the hope he never knew he needed. The one person who made him feel like he wasn’t alone.
And Sasuke wasn’t losing him.
Not now. Not ever.