Loyalty
Disclaimer: Same as usual. I'm still broke.
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"Loyalty isn't standing by someone when they're right-that's good judgment. Loyalty is standing by someone when he's wrong."-Susan Estritch
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A monster inside him, and not in the literal sense, reared its head at Tsunade's words. Yes, she was Hokage and yes, she had power, but the ways of the Council were by vote and this particular vote was made from prejudice and pure blindness.
Sasuke wasn't allowed to stay in the village.
They'd healed both of the best friends' wounds, but that was the extent of their hospitality. Now Sasuke was standing silently beside him. It wasn't the haughty or defiant silence that Naruto had come to recognize with Sasuke, but rather reluctant acceptance. The blonde was the opposite of this fact. He had his fists clenched and the cobalt eyes narrowed at Tsunade.
"That's insane! He's done plenty more for the village than any one of those fucking elders and he's the one getting banished?! What the hell kind of justice is this?!" Naruto fumed.
"I can't do anything about it, Naruto. He was banished by choice of vote."
"A vote that was biased all to hell!"
"Even so, it was a vote. Sasuke's banished and they said that he has until tonight to leave. If he doesn't, the ANBU will be sent after him."
"The ANBU work directly under you! They answer to you!"
"They also answer to the Elders."
A crack split the air as Naruto punched the wall, leaving a dent with a large crack dividing the middle. His blue eyes were steadily turning purple and Naruto whirled on his heel and left through the window before he hurt someone. Sasuke looked out after him, the onyx eyes blank.
"I am sorry about this, Sasuke. I was the one who voted for you to stay." Tsunade apologized.
"It's fine. I didn't honestly hope to be accepted back." Sasuke bowed once as he left the office for the final time.
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Sasuke shouldered his pack full of necessities and the picture of Team 7 and turned to leave through the very gates he had left through last time. The only difference was that this time, there was no heartfelt pleas to make him stay, no tears, no seeing a familiar face one last time.
"About time you got here."
Sasuke's head shot up and he saw Naruto seated comfortably on the floor, his back leaning against the gate. There was a pack sitting next to him and Sasuke looked at him in confusion.
"Did you honestly think you were going alone?"
"But…your dream." Sasuke was still puzzling over this fact.
"Being Hokage won't mean anything if I don't have my brother next to me." Naruto smiled up at him, cerulean eyes bright in the darkness.
Sasuke couldn't get any words out of his tight throat, so powerful was his disbelief.
"I-I betrayed you." The brunette berated himself for stuttering. Why weren't his words working?
"Family forgives each other, even if they don't always understand why they did a certain thing." Naruto quoted.
"You actually read a book?"
A grin spread across the whiskered face as he stood, brushing off the orange pants. Sasuke just noticed how much taller Naruto had gotten, about four inches taller than himself.
"Don't sound so surprised. I had to do something while I was stuck in the hospital for so long."
"I'm not going to be able to persuade you otherwise?"
"What do you think?"
"Come on then."
Naruto smiled and wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders as they set off for the final time out of Konoha.
Author's Note: The book they were talking about was Eldest, by Christopher Paolini.