Throw it all away

A/N: Thank you, everyone, for your reviews. They're both welcome and appreciated.

The village didn’t take the news of Sasuke’s return well. Distrust, contempt, and wariness followed his every move. As they walked to Ichiraku’s, Sasuke was aware of every villager’s stare. Around him, Naruto’s guard – consisting of Shikamaru and Shino today – remained silent, neither acknowledging the unease, nor moving to contain it. Neji, beside Naruto, seemed to be doing the same. As for Naruto…Sasuke was rather dumbfounded over the fact that the Rokudaime didn’t seem to notice at all.

Even after being away from Naruto for years, Sasuke found he could still read him fairly accurately. At the moment, Naruto was laughing; arms behind his head, and walking along as if the entire village and their burning stares were simply a figment of Sasuke’s imagination.

When they reached Ichiraku’s, Naruto dropped into his usual seat, greeting the cook and his daughter. Sasuke sat down beside him at his insistence – Naruto smiling up at him and slapping his hand down on the stool beside him. He remained quiet however, knowing full well he was still a traitor in the eyes of 99.9% of Konoha. Unless one didn’t count the Hokage as a mere citizen, in which case, Sasuke was still a traitor in the eyes of the entire village.

“Neji, sit,” Naruto urged.

Neji looked to Sasuke, before settling on Naruto’s other side. Behind them, Shikamaru and Shino settled on either side of the entrance, eyes to the street.

“Naruto-sama, welcome. What will you be having today?”

Naruto smiled, stretching in readiness. “Miso pork all around,” he replied cheerily.

With a nod the woman was off. Sasuke’s mind searched for a name, but couldn’t place her. It seemed, since he’d returned, the only names he remembered where those which had proven a challenge to him. Listing them together, he’d be lucky if he had little over a dozen. Matching names to faces was easy when you knew them, but alas, Sasuke’s list consisted of either the powerful or the annoying. Everyone else was blank.

“Here you are Rokudaime-sama.”

Naruto thanked him and with a happy snapping of chopsticks, started in. Sasuke looked at his, wondering if a village full of shinobi would risk poisoning him in front of the Rokudaime, or if they were biding their time, waiting for a convenient excuse.

Neji looked down at his ramen, and with a reserved sigh, moved to eat it. Sasuke watched him as he snapped the chopsticks, and positioned himself in such a way that if Sasuke even blinked improperly, he’d have a chopstick lodged in his eye. He gave an internal snort at that. He could try.

His attention was brought back to Naruto, as the blonde suddenly seemed to materialize inches from his face. “What’s the matter?” he asked. “It doesn’t taste bad, does it?”

Sasuke’s body supplied a sudden jolt of panic as he saw – in slow motion, it seemed – Naruto’s chopsticks dip into his bowl. But Naruto was chewing before he’d managed to grab his wrist.

Neji was standing, Shikamaru and Shino suddenly at his back.

“Tastes fine to me,” Naruto said, with a shrug.

Shikamaru murmured a choice curse and moved back to his post. Shino remained a moment longer, easing back to his, with a predatory presence. Neji settled back down beside Naruto and slowly picked up his chopsticks.

Sasuke had the sudden realization that being the Rokudaime’s guards must be the most stressful job in the village. Likely, Naruto pulled several life endangering stunts a day out of sheer stupidity.


“Your food’s getting cold,” was the first thing Neji said to him all day. Sasuke knew it translated to, ‘Now that you know it’s not poisoned, eat it.’ He leaned into the counter and snapped his chopsticks. He may as well. He didn’t know when they’d actually get around to poisoning him - if that was in fact their intent – and every poison free meal was a necessity.


Naruto padded around the village as he always had. Proud, as if he owned it in some strange way. In a way, as Rokudaime, he did now. As he had before, since he’d been sacrificed for its welfare. The tension that surrounded the group was stifling. Almost as bad as when Sasuke had first walked the streets alone, after the massacre.

Still, Naruto remained his usual cheery self. Pointing out new areas, and explaining changes. He told Sasuke of how he’d met every new clan, how surprised he’d been when they came, one after another to serve him – much to his embarrassment. He didn’t feel they owed him anything. The clans, Sasuke knew, felt otherwise. For as they passed, each new face glared with such hatred that Sasuke’s patience was wearing thin.


The sudden devotion the village showed Naruto was revolting. To Sasuke, they were just clinging to someone who had saved them once, and was empowering them now. A person they’d kicked and spat at, who’d still felt, despite it all, that he wanted to serve them.

He didn’t know if it was his need to feel appreciated, to be acknowledged, or if Naruto simply wanted to belong. As long as Sasuke had known him, Naruto had always been striving for other’s approval. No matter how many times he was hurt, regardless of how many blows to his esteem – and Sasuke had helped them there – Naruto had always put the village ahead of everything else.

His goal to become their sole protector seemed completely insane when they were children. Now, Sasuke wasn’t so sure. He knew who had appointed Naruto Rokudaime. It was obvious the elders hadn’t voted for him. Yet, they bowed deeply as he passed, with sickeningly sweet greetings that made Sasuke want to rip their tongues out.

Looking sideways at him, Sasuke wondered how the political aspect of being Rokudaime was being handled. Much like his predecessor, Naruto wasn’t one for deskwork, and calm negotiation. He’d rather be out in the thick of things, throwing his entire mind and body into a cause he believed in. But, being Rokudaime was a job that required more than simple strength and ability. Someone had to be handling the more delicate aspects of the Rokudaime’s reign.


Back at the Hokage’s tower, Sasuke sat and watched Naruto hand out missions. Each and every ninja that walked into the room wanted his blood. They’d give him a covert glare, promising everything from death, to eternal torment. Someone really ought to have told them about meeting an Uchiha’s eyes. Not that he could do anything about it.

When Kakashi entered, Sasuke avoided meeting his gaze. Naruto appointed him a mission as if he were speaking to an old friend, and Sasuke didn’t fail to notice that the mission was neither too dangerous, nor too boring. Naruto, it seemed, played a favored board. Good. Those loyal to him deserved to be spared.

The word ‘loyal’ echoed in his head.

He hadn’t been very loyal. He claimed Naruto was his best friend, and in all honesty, he was. Sasuke had never let anyone get as close to him as he’d allowed Naruto. Yet, ‘close’ could be considered abstract in this situation. As ‘close’ had entailed constantly beating and berating one another. A struggle between them to become the stronger, which had started as a rivalry and ended in a depth of camaraderie Sasuke had not since experienced.

True, he hadn’t had time to risk or waste, making friends with the people Orochimaru surrounded himself with. They’d just as soon kill him for favor. Sasuke never killed for anything so petty, however, it didn’t mean he hadn’t killed a least a handful of them. Really, they’d brought it upon themselves.


Naruto’s decision to reinstate Sasuke’s status within the village nearly caused an uproar. It was then that Sasuke came to know that the political pillar on which Naruto stood, was not one person, but a small, intimate committee. The group, most of which Sasuke had spent his childhood alongside, advised and supported Naruto. They enforced his decisions, and stood up to him when his naivete or thick-headed-ness steered him in the wrong direction.


“No,” Sakura said, standing and tossing a few sheets of paper upon the Rokudaime’s desk. “Naruto, I know how you’re feeling. No one understands as much as I do, you know that. I’d love to see Sasuke be who he was, but he’s not. We can’t expect him to be.”

“So, you don’t want him to be a ninja anymore?” asked Naruto.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Nothing could keep Sasuke from being a shinobi,” Kakashi said, from where he was leaning against the couch.

“If he can’t give it up when the Rokudaime orders him to-” began Kiba, with a growl. However, Naruto cut him off. “Sasuke’s a good shinobi. Why shouldn’t we reinstate him?”

“Maybe because he tried to kill you?” the disgruntled shinobi replied.

“Once,” Naruto corrected. “And that was years ago.”

When no one responded, he added, “He didn’t try to kill me before, when we attacked Sound.”

He had a point, but the group remained stubborn.

“If Naruto wants Sasuke reinstated,” said Shikamaru, holding up a hand to forestall protests. “He should be so. Only under certain conditions.”

“Conditions?” Naruto asked, folding his hands under his chin and leaning over his desk, interested.

Shikamaru sighed. “Before you give him back his status and property, we should write up a contract. Which, if Sasuke violates, he’ll have to surrender to an agreed upon punishment.”

Sasuke’s mind took that moment to remind him how Shikamaru had always been the dark horse of the genius ladder. Although, he had to – begrudgingly – admit, that were he in the Jounin’s position, he’d have come up with it as well. He was giving himself too much credit. Sasuke would have killed Shikamaru on sight were their roles reversed. Thankfully, Shikamaru was a greater man.


Naruto sighed, looking around the room. With a contract as the agreed upon end, he let Shikamaru leave to write one up, and dismissed the rest. Most left slowly, meandering a bit before vacating his office. Kakashi was the only one who left immediately.

That left Sasuke and Neji in the office with him, and Shino and Kiba on guard duty.

Sasuke felt the need to say something, but nearly bit through his tongue when he saw the look Naruto and Neji shared. Angrily – though managing to hide it from the dobe – he stood and excused himself. Naruto looked torn for a moment, but smiled suddenly and bid him to return the next morning.

He left, his pride demanding a straight back and high head, as Neji’s sharp eyes followed him out.


He returned later that night, taking up his nightly vigil outside the Hokage’s office window. He’d never thought to think on it as a child. Why the Hokage never left the tower. Now, he knew it was because the work was never ending.

Naruto had shouldered such a heavy burden for such an ungrateful lot. Thankfully, he wasn’t alone. Sasuke didn’t know what he’d do, had he returned to worse. Every night he watched Naruto move about in his office, he wished that he’d been one of the people to stand beside him as he rose above the spiteful villagers, and their disgraceful ways.

It annoyed him to no end, that of all people, Naruto had replaced him with Hyuuga Neji.

Neji was always at Naruto’s side. Neji, who’d never given Naruto the time of day as children. Neji, who’d taunted Naruto almost as cynically as Sasuke himself. Had Naruto instigated their relationship? If he had, Sasuke then only had himself to blame. He’d driven Naruto to Neji.

He had felt, at thirteen, he needed no one. Little had he known, the one thing he needed more than anything was someone. Someone to stand beside him. To believe in him. Someone to lean on when things got too difficult and the world tipped dangerously. Someone to listen to his dreams and comfort his nightmares.

Someone who’d been in front of him all along.

Someone he’d abandoned.


Tonight, Naruto was the one submitting. Clutching hard to the back of his chair, as Neji drove into him relentlessly. His brow furrowed, and his muscles tight, shoving back to meet Neji’s hips, with pants and gasps he held in for the sake of the Shinobi outside his office door.

Tonight, Neji held Sasuke’s eyes the entire time. Shoving harder and harder, with a bit of a snarl to his lips, as if to say, “Mine.” With every thrust, Naruto’s body shivered, pushed back as hard. Until he was biting into the neck of the chair, muffling screams of pleasure, that curved Neji’s lips into a conquering smile.

Neji’s hand gripped Naruto’s blonde hair, using it as a handle to drag Naruto’s head back, bearing his neck, as the blonde came all over his chair. Sasuke’s eyes slid to Naruto then. Giving up the challenge, to see Naruto’s face in the height of pleasure.

Neji took that moment to shove inside him a few more times, throwing his head back and coming with the Rokudaime. As the strength behind his thrusts poured into Naruto, he dropped into his back. Naruto gave a moan as his shoulder was bitten, and reached back to stroke Neji’s hip.


They remained there for some time, stroking one another, speaking in the soft, warm tone of lovers. When Naruto shivered, Neji made to move, but Naruto caught him, and pulled him close.

“Just stay with me,” he pleaded softly. “Just a little longer.”

Neji kissed his neck, eyes finding Sasuke’s as he replied, “Don’t worry, Naruto.” He smiled softly, head tilted close to Naruto's so that his lips brushed the blonde’s cheek as he added, “I’m not going anywhere.”