2 Days Later:

Sasuke sat in front of Naruto as they were eating lunch. Spec and Kaioh Dorain had managed to hunt down some deer and make hamburgers. Everyone else had already eaten, but Sasuke waited until that. So here he sat, looking at his food with a frown "What's got you in such a bad mood?" Naruto asked as he took a bite

"How am I supposed to eat this?" Sasuke asked

"With your hands?"

"I've only got one arm to work with," Sasuke replied

"I know,"

"Then why are you asking?" Sasuke said as Naruto rolled his eyes

"Do I gotta do it for you?" Naruto asked as he grabbed Sasuke's sword and cut his burger in two

"I hate you," Sasuke said as Naruto scoffed

"No you don't," Naruto replied as he took another bite out of his lunch. Sasuke closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and said: "Thank you," as he picked up one of his burger halves and took a bite out of it, "wow, this is pretty good,"

"Yeah, I'm surprised Spec could cook too," Naruto said with a smirk as Sasuke set down his burger

"Naruto, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead,"

"Why don't you hate me?" Sasuke asked

"Hm?"

"I left everyone behind, you, Kakashi-sensei... Sakura," Sasuke replied as Naruto sighed. He grabbed a rag and cleaned his mouth before he said: "why would I hate you for leaving that god-awful village?"

"W-what?"

"You heard me. There's the reason why I was put in prison in the first place. A majority rule. All siding with Danzo for a 'better Konoha'," Naruto growled as Sasuke slightly flinched. Sasuke then looked at Naruto as the ladder looked back. They stared at each other for a few moments before Naruto said: "What? You like what you see?"

"No, I'm just looking for something," Sasuke replied

"Like what?"

"I don't know... maybe the dope that wanted to become Hokage," Sasuke said as Naruto chuckled

"He's gone... long gone. He died in prison, Sasuke. There's only me now... a child that grew up too fast,"

"I guess,"

"Besides! Hokage is a fool's dream! Who wants to be stuck in an office 24/7? Doing useless paperwork? Am I right?" Naruto said with a small laugh as Sasuke couldn't help but join him. They laughed for a good 20 seconds before they started to calm down. It was at this point that Sasuke said: "Naruto... I have to tell you something, it's about Gaara,"

"What about him?" Naruto asked as he stopped mid-bite when Sasuke said those words

"Since you've been out of the Elemental Nations, the Akatsuki had to delay their plans. They thought they could catch-up if they took you prisoner and extract the tailed beasts one by one, with the Kyubi being held prisoner until they needed it," Sasuke explained as Naruto sat up straight

"You better not be saying what I think you're saying,"

"They're going to be there tomorrow to take the Shukaku," Sasuke said as Naruto gritted his teeth

"And why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Naruto asked as Sasuke felt pressure on him. The feeling of life and death. The way he lived flashed before his eyes as he saw his death at the end. A tangled mess of flesh and bone. It was a horrible image as Sasuke thought: 'N-Naruto... y-you've become something else. S-something far stronger than what I can only hope to obtain. Y-you don't see me as an enemy. You never did. B-but now, as the king of beasts, you only see me... as I see the object on my plate... food,' as Naruto slowly calmed down. For the rest of lunch, Naruto didn't speak to Sasuke. The silence was foreign to Sasuke when he saw Naruto do so. And it shook him as he could only think about what has happened to the man he called brother when they were younger.

The Next Day:

"Alright, I'm leaving," Naruto said as he rolled his neck and shoulders

"Be safe, sweetheart!" Kushina said as she hugged him

"I will... but can you do me a favor?" Naruto asked

"Whatever it is, we can do it," Minato said

"I want you all to start heading to Konoha,"

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me, besides, I think it's time you two met your granddaughter," Naruto said with a smile as Kushina's eyes lit up like stars

"Really?! I get to meet my grandbaby?!" Kushina asked as Naruto nodded, "YES~~~~~~~!"

"*Sigh* There goes all the money we had in our bank account,"

"What makes you think you still have one?" Naruto asked as Minato nearly had a heart attack

"Hey, I think you better go see Pickle and Sasuke. They've been sitting on top of the building for the past hour," Doyal said as Naruto rolled his eyes

"Alright, but can you guys make sure that they get back to Konoha once I leave?"

"Don't worry, Naruto. They'll be fine, besides, they're ninja, right?" Sikorsky said as Naruto nodded

"Yeah, I know,"

10 Minutes Later:

Naruto was on top of the Uchiha Hideout. Sitting on the edge of the building were Pickle and Sasuke as they looked out into the forest surrounding the area. But in the middle of it all, was the destruction made by Sasuke and Itachi. The burn marks. The broken rocks. Shattered pillars and stone floors. For nearly 4 miles this went on as Pickle and Sasuke sat next to each other, mesmerized. Naruto walked over to them as he said: "Hey, Sasuke,"

"Hn?"

"I'm leaving,"

"That's nice," Sasuke replied quickly as Naruto scoffed

"'That's nice?'; what's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked as Sasuke shrugged, still staring in front of him

"What the hell are you looking at?" Naruto asked as Sasuke shook his head

"I-I don't know. For the past few days, Pickle has been coming up here. It's the perfect view," Sasuke explained, "nothing blocking your view. I sat down to see what he was seeing... a-and it's almost like a genjutsu,"

"What?" Naruto asked

"I-It's beautiful," Sasuke said as Naruto sat down next to him

"This I gotta see," Naruto said as he sat down. So he looked out in front of him and waited. And waited. And waited... but nothing. He sat there for what felt like an eternity before he got back up and said: "I don't have time for this, I've gotta go save Gaara," as he left. Sasuke just nodded as he continued to stare out in front of him.

2 Hours Later:

Naruto was running through the desert as he came upon Suna. the giant walls surrounding the village were in front of him as he climbed up the side in less than a minute and looked down into the village. What he saw could only be described as: "Well, looks like Gaara needs some help,"

[Hope you enjoyed the chapter and sorry it's so short]