Summary: Mirror to 'In The Empty Dark', SasuNaru

Disclaimer: I do not own any Naruto character.

Warnings: YAOI, boyxboy, canonish

A/N: This is a mirror fic, though it should stand well enough on its own - if you haven't read 'In The Empty Dark', you might want to do it after you finish this one; they play off each other.

The Anberlin song "The Unwinding Cable Car" was what I picked for the theme song type thing to this... it isn't necessary to the fic, just kinda touches on things.

This fic is dedicated to BelleDragon, who is the one who finally convinced me to write it. She's also taken upon herself the burden of being my beta, and I think her assistance will prove invaluable. This is the first fic she'd beta'd for me.

. . .

Death always got to him.

He knew it shouldn't – it was part of being a ninja. He supposed one day he would get used to it. It wasn't like he'd even been that close to the girl. He'd only known her a couple of days, since the joint mission started, but he could still remember her laughter at dinner the day before. She'd been so full of hope and life. Now, none of that hope was left – and he hadn't been able to do anything to stop it from being destroyed.

He stumbled through the doorway of the bar, looking around casually. The rest of his team was still back at – the fifth pub they'd hopped to? He wasn't sure; his counting ability had disappeared around the tenth drink. He'd been slamming them pretty quick, trying to actually achieve some level of drunkenness before the alcohol was processed by his body's healing. It had worked – the last bar, he'd shaken himself out of a drunken stupor to realize that he was half-naked and being molested by one of the girls from the other team. He'd shrugged her off half-apologetically, and ignored the look that Shikamaru gave him before stepping out into the fresh air of the street.

At least there weren't any girls in this new bar. He didn't really understand where their fascination with him had come from, it certainly wasn't mutual. Sure, for a while it had been interesting, but now he'd seen enough tits and ass to know that it didn't do much for him beyond the initial thrill of the forbidden. He had a lot of women in his life he loved like a sister, but nothing more than that. He frowned again, heaviness settling over him as he remembered the girl who had lost her life on the mission earlier that day. They'd destroyed the enemy team, but he had a feeling her scream of pain at the end would ring in his mind for a while yet.

He blinked as he saw familiar dark hair on a man at the bar, frowning slightly. Why would Sasuke be here? Maybe it wasn't him. As he drew closer, he knew it was – he'd recognize that profile anywhere, as much as the other man tried to keep his chakra under wraps. He paused for a moment, in wonder that the other man didn't sense him. He thought of going to get the rest of his team – then decided against it. He'd had too much of death for one day, and though Sasuke showed a remarkable ability to act like a homicidal maniac while somehow failing to kill most of those who were sent against him, he wasn't willing to risk it.

Besides, it looked like Sasuke wasn't a threat at the moment. He examined the other man. He wasn't in his normal faggy outfit. Naruto snorted to himself. Granted, he himself wasn't in his normal awesome orange. It wasn't really the night for awesome.

Sasuke seemed utterly preoccupied with the drink in front of him, though Naruto figured that he'd be quick to defend himself if attacked. Naruto didn't see anyone else with him, though, and he'd heard rumors that he had been separated from the rest of his team after some recent battle. Exposing himself in a city full of ninja who were under orders to hunt him down was probably not the wisest idea, even for Sasuke. Naruto figured it was a mark of the bastard's overwhelming self-confidence that even let him sit here in public with his back to the rest of the room.

Bitterness laced the edge of the smirk on his lips as he came up behind the raven, leaning over to invade the other man's personal space. "Was it worth it, Sasuke?" he said.

The look in the other man's eyes when he turned from the bar was totally worth it, though there was something in the look that just added to the grief in Naruto's heart. It was almost as if the bastard didn't recognize him. The genius didn't stay clueless for long, however.

"What do you think?" he said, letting dark eyes glance over Naruto before turning back to the bar and ignoring him. The other man huffed, taking the moment to sit down next to the raven. He was surprised the other didn't object. He ordered another round of drinks, frowning at the wood of the bar and trying to think of something to talk about. The bastard certainly wasn't going to start up conversation.

He finally settled on talking about the past. There was no way to talk about anything recently – he supposed the idea of bringing up Itachi was a particularly poor one, even for him. Discussing their recent alliances was completely out of the question. He wasn't sure he could talk about Orochimaru without sounding antagonistic; the bastard's betrayal in that instance was still an open wound and would remain so for quite some time. Instead, he talked about their old classmates and the innocuous events of their lives.

He was even able to distract himself, the sound of a random "Hn," now and then from Sasuke served to only further draw him into the memory of the past. It was only when he looked over and saw the other man didn't seem to be paying any attention at all that he was broken out of his reverie.

"You aren't listening at all, are you teme?" he exclaimed, turning to face Sasuke.

The other man glared at him a bit, and then was distracted by something over Naruto's shoulder. The glare on Sasuke's face was redoubled for whatever he saw, and then a look crossed his face that the blond didn't recognize. Naruto frowned, looking around to see what had irked Sasuke so much.

For the first time, he really noticed the nature of the bar he'd stumbled into. The absence of women was evidently not an accident, and the glances shot their way indicated exactly why the other men weren't upset by that absence. He frowned, sending out a few glares of his own for good measure. The last thing Sasuke needed was to be hit on by more evil bastards. He shifted closer to his friend, more than willing to protect him if necessary. Not that Sasuke would need protecting, but still – what are friends for? Still, he couldn't help but admit that the situation was a bit humorous. "I guess it doesn't matter men or women, eh Sasuke? Looks like they're all after your ass."

The raven looked at him speechless for a moment, and then said "Usuratonkachi." The familiarity of the insult took Naruto by surprise. He couldn't even get angry. He just poked an elbow into the other man's side, surprised he would allow that much familiarity. Maybe the alcohol was affecting both of them.

He stared down at the glass of his hands, growing thoughtful. Now that the fantasy of the past was banished, his thoughts turned toward the present. He could still feel his best friend in the man next to him, though it was buried under layers of pride and anger. He could understand the anger. He also remembered Itachi's last words to him, how he talked about Sasuke being a blank canvas. Sasuke didn't look so pure at the moment.

He looked tired.

Naruto turned his head, gazing at the raven. Sasuke ignored him, still focused on his own thoughts. Naruto didn't like the way his skin was even more pale than usual, and the worn look of his eyes. Those eyes finally looked at him, cool as ever. To Naruto, however, it looked as though there were cracks in that mask. For a moment, Naruto had this desire to break the cracks open and expose Sasuke to himself. The thought of Sasuke exposed stirred something else inside the blond as well.

He wondered how much longer Sasuke would hold out in his quest, how much more revenge he would try and find. No matter how much he achieved, Naruto knew it would only leave him empty.

The words were out of his mouth before he had the chance to think about their consequences. "When are you coming back home, Sasuke?"

He cursed internally at the immediate response, scrambling to try and find some way to fix the situation before Sasuke escaped. He reacted swiftly as the raven stood as if to leave, raising a hand and putting it on his shoulder. The look he got in response was even colder than normal, but he was used to the glare.

He shrugged apologetically and licked his lips, deciding humor was always a good option. "Eh, you ready to get out of here?"

Dark eyes widened in shock. Naruto wondered suddenly if that had been a good idea. He swallowed as those eyes changed, drifted down to look at him in a way he'd never seen Sasuke do to anyone before. It was like they could strip him, leave him bare. He felt something in him stir in response, especially at the raven's next words.

"Why, Naruto, you have something in mind?"

The question could have been innocent under other circumstances, but with the way Sasuke was leaning toward him ever so slightly, it was anything but innocent. He liked it. Two could play at this game – if that was all Sasuke thought it was.

"Sure," Naruto said, letting himself really look at the raven. The raven was still slightly taller than him. Slightly shorter than the man Naruto normally went to bed with, but that was just for the sake of convenience. He couldn't lie to himself and say that a part of him hadn't always wanted the chance to touch the body in front of him in a way other than friendship or anger.

He smirked at the hint of insecurity that invaded those dark eyes, then followed Sasuke as he turned and left the bar. The night outside was cool, and he appreciated the clean air. He'd gotten used to cigarette smoke, but that didn't mean he liked it.

Once outside, Sasuke looked a bit at a loss. Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets, thinking about where to go from here. "Eh, your place or mine?" he said.

He knew it was one of the oldest lines in the book, but hey – sometimes, it just needed to be said. The look Sasuke shot him seemed to imply that it didn't need to be said right then, but the raven caved and said, "Mine."

He turned and took off down the street. Naruto followed again, musing idly about how long he'd been chasing that back. Not that it was a bad backside to watch, mind you. He had a stray thought about somehow trying to knock Sasuke out and drag him back to the others – but he didn't want to break this fragile situation. There was no telling if he'd get the chance to be this close to Sasuke anytime in the future. Naruto was still convinced that the other man could be saved – that, somehow, he'd finally realize that everything he was doing was pointless, and that he needed to have better things to live for than the dead.

He wasn't surprised at the winding path they took to find Sasuke's place. There was always the vague chance that they'd run into someone he knew. Strangers might not be able to tell who Sasuke was, but Naruto was certain anyone from Konoha would know in a heartbeat – and then, they'd both be in big trouble.

They arrived at the apartment without incident, however. He followed the raven up to his apartment, leaning over to take his boots off and admiring the view when Sasuke did the same. The small room was sparse, but neat and tidy. He eyed the futon in the corner of the room, swallowing as he suddenly realized that he wasn't sure what to do next.

It wasn't that he was inexperienced in these types of situations – even situations where there wasn't much talking involved. But normally, when things went unsaid, it was because of mutual understanding. This was totally new territory, being with someone he actually cared about in a way that went beyond mild friendship.

Sasuke didn't seem to be in any hurry to move things along either. He just took a couple steps into the room and looked around like his thoughts were on someplace entirely different. The room was still bathed in darkness. Suddenly, Naruto's mouth felt dry. "So um," he said, walking into the room and looking out the window, wanting to look anywhere but at Sasuke. He tried to come up with something brilliant, but all he could think of was, "Do you have anything to drink?"

Not like he needed any more alcohol. The edges of his buzz were beginning to clear away, letting him realize how surreal this situation was. The last thing he'd expected was to be pulled up to Sasuke's apartment one day for a booty call. Or whatever you wanted to call this thing they were doing – not much, so far.

"Water," Sasuke said, not bothering to explain further.

Naruto turned toward the raven and caught sight of the tiny kitchenette. He nodded and walked into the room, flipping on the light so he could find the glasses. He could feel dark eyes on his every move, and found them not the least bit disconcerting. One of the glasses slipped out of his hand, betraying his nervousness. He was able to catch it before it broke, however.

He decided to be nice and get some water for the bastard as well. When he turned around, Sasuke was sitting on the futon next to the windowsill. He'd taken off the vest, and had on only a thin black shirt that did nothing to hide his physique. Naruto turned toward the tap, filling two glasses and trying to keep his hands steady.

The truth was he didn't want to get distracted by Sasuke's body. Ok, so it was a very hot body. And Sasuke just in general was sexy as all hell, especially since he was the only one who could ever really go toe to toe with Naruto without flinching. There was something undeniably hot about that. But he wanted more than that.

He walked over to the futon, blue eyes meeting black. The light from the kitchen made Sasuke's pale skin almost glow against the darkness of his hair. Naruto leaned over and gave him one of the glasses of water, waiting for Sasuke to say something. When nothing was forthcoming, he sat down on the futon about as far away from the other man as he could get.

They watched each other, each taking sips of water. Sasuke was impenetrably silent, guard up so tight Naruto wondered if he'd ever break through. Naruto let his thoughts drift over the road that had brought them to this point. He knew how much hatred Sasuke had inside him. Sometimes he wondered if the reason the other man got so angry at him was because Naruto wouldn't acknowledge what he did with that hatred. It wasn't that Naruto didn't understand, at least a bit – hell, he felt that Sasuke was probably the only person who could understand even a part of what he'd gone through at the hands of the Konoha elders. He knew all about anger, and darkness.

He just chose something different. Because that was what you did – you either let your darkness rule you, or you didn't. As much as he'd suffered, he also longed for his home – a home that wouldn't be complete without Sasuke in it. But unlike the other man, he didn't believe the solution was to destroy it. The only way things would ever be better was if you worked to make them better, weeding out the bad so that the good could flourish. Someday, he'd be Hokage and do just that. But only if Sasuke could be there to see it.

He opened his mouth to speak, only to be silenced by a single word from the other man.

"Don't," Sasuke said.

"What?"

"Just don't."

Naruto scowled, being reminded again how impossible everyone said this was. "Bastard," he said, turning away. No one could frustrate him like Sasuke. He felt like an impossible dream, always just out of reach, sneering away any hope of a change in their relationship. That had never changed. The blond took a long gulp of water, finishing the glass and setting it down.

Except it had changed, in the past. He'd changed from just being some stupid boy to someone who could actually stand up to Sasuke even at his worst. Sasuke had come to see him as a friend, even if Sasuke's version of what friends should do was a bit warped. He narrowed his eyes, and then sighed, deciding to try a different approach.

"Why?" he asked, gazing at his friend.

He didn't know what he expected in response. Probably more sarcasm. However, Sasuke seemed a bit puzzled by the question, not that it really showed. He finished his own glass of water, putting it to the floor and letting it roll away from the futon while gazing into Naruto's eyes.

The last thing that the blond expected was to have Sasuke suddenly hovering over him, dark eyes much more intense at this short distance. Blue eyes flicked down to a mouth that parted suddenly, suddenly wanting to know the taste of that mouth. The answers he'd wanted seemed to pale in importance to that taste. They'd always been better at speaking without words, anyhow.

He brought a hand up and let himself touch that dark hair. It wasn't as soft as he had expected. He let the short strands drift through his fingertips before pulling the other man closer, wanting the kiss. For a moment, all he could feel was Sasuke's breath against his mouth. Then, he felt the brush of lips that were just as soft as he expected. When entrance into his mouth was asked, he granted it easily, licking the tip of a questing tongue before sliding his own tongue against it, savoring the taste. Sasuke was warmer than he'd expected for an ice cold bastard. And sweeter than expected for someone who seemed to stay away from sugar like it was the plague.

The kiss was sweet too, but he wanted more than just sweet. He nipped the end of that tongue and pulled Sasuke closer before flipping their positions and invading the other's mouth. He was suddenly ravenous. Before he knew it, he felt himself go flying across the room, adrenaline surging in his veins. He looked up at Sasuke's flushed face and felt his hunger only grow.

He grinned, reveling in the knowledge that whatever he dished out tonight, Sasuke could take it. He wasn't fragile. In fact, Naruto bet he'd like it a little rough – they both would. He launched himself back at the raven, watching as the other launched himself from the futon to meet him. There was nothing unfamiliar about the fight. He knew Sasuke's moves like the back of his hand, at least his old ones, and it seemed like they always fell into old patterns whenever they fought. It was almost comforting, the way they could both push without having to worry about the other making a misstep that would cause serious injury. The kunai was almost an afterthought; clothes were unnecessary for what they would be doing anyhow. Sasuke's cuts were deliberate and accurate. Scraps of cloth flew through the air in a whirlwind of muted colors until both men were naked, kunais aimed at nothing but air.

Finally, Naruto had had enough foreplay. He knocked the kunai out of Sasuke's hand and tossed his own before throwing the raven onto the futon. Dark eyes narrowed before Naruto captured the lips below, trying to chase all thoughts out of the other man's head. He felt the body beneath him buck up, reveling in the feeling of skin on skin. Nails drew harshly down the blond's back and then grasped his ass tightly, making the blond press his cock against the other's straining erection. The burst of pleasure made it easier for Sasuke to flip them, pinning his wrists above his head.

Naruto smirked at the look in Sasuke's eyes as they wandered over his body. There was anger in that face, unexpectedly. Then Naruto glanced down at himself and saw that the girl from earlier had left evidence of her molestation. Annoying. Effective, however, if that's what it took to get a rise out of the raven; not that he would have done it on purpose. Why Sasuke was angry he had no clue, but for some reason it struck Naruto as amusing.

He took advantage of the scowl to flip Sasuke over again, this time wasting no time before getting straight to the point. He licked his lips, shimmying down that pale body and taking the raven's cock in his mouth. Perhaps he was a bit overeager, at first – but Sasuke was delicious. He let his tongue flick over the tip, tasting the precum before pressing hard against the underside of the head, then dove down, figuring the raven could take a little bit of teeth even if he complained. He glanced up into the other man's glare as black bled to red. The implied danger only added to his hunger, and he redoubled his efforts, using all his tricks to try and draw noises from that stubborn little mouth. Perhaps it would take more than just his mouth to achieve those results, though. Not that he minded.

He got a bit overconfident at Sasuke's reaction to the feeling of fingertips tracing back toward his asshole, pulling off the other man's cock to tease the tip with his tongue. Once said cock was free of the danger of any teeth, Sasuke seized the moment to take control again. Literally. Naruto felt a surge of rage at the hand grasping precious bits and glared up into Sasuke's eyes, wanting to push up but stopped by the arm against his throat.

"I don't think so, dobe," the bastard said.

Naruto dug his nails into the raven's sides, feeling nails blend into claws with his rage. The hand on his balls gave a warning squeeze and he forced himself to back off, showing his displeasure on his face. He had no desire to give in to the bastard, but he also valued his balls, no matter how angry he was at this turn of events and what it would probably lead to. Even with that though, he had to acknowledge that the night was turning out to be hotter than any other he'd had. His other encounters had been merely for convenience. Sasuke was more than convenience. It seemed like he naturally knew which buttons to push to drive the blond nuts.

"What'll it be?" Sasuke asked, drawing the question into a slow temptation, especially when the fingers that had been holding so tightly a few seconds previously took the time to press back, rubbing against the sensitive skin behind Naruto's balls.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, saying, "I want your ass." It was very true, even if he somehow doubted that would be the way things would go.

"You've always wanted my ass," the bastard said, way too confident for his own good.

Also true though, Naruto had to acknowledge. "Maybe," he said, smirking. Not that he'd made a practice of going after lookalikes – he tended to hook up with brunets – but he knew Sasuke had always been there in the back of his mind. At some point, the desire to overtake had changed into the desire to take – though being taken might not be so bad, either.

And it seemed like that was to be his fate this evening. Sasuke looked a bit amused at his admission, then said simply, "Doesn't matter. I'm taking your ass, dobe."

The feeling of a fingertip swiftly plunging into his asshole made Naruto hiss, arching his back and glaring at the raven. "This time, maybe."

Those red eyes were far too self-satisfied. He wanted to protest more, especially when the hand left his balls and came up to his mouth, leaving no doubt as to what the raven wanted him to do.

"Careful," Sasuke said when it looked like his prey wasn't going to cooperate. "Remember what I'm going to be doing in the next few minutes."

Naruto decided to go with it. It wasn't that he minded bottoming; he just hated to lose to this one man in particular. Normally, there was very little competition in his sexual encounters. With Sasuke, he decided it was unavoidable.

He watched as the other man leaned closer, watching him open his lips to suck those fingers in. They tasted like him, sweat and musk and saltiness. He didn't mind. They also tasted like Sasuke, and moved against his tongue in a way the cock, as talented as it was, could never do. There was something vaguely hot about having fingers in your mouth. He could bite – and he did, a bit, just to turn things up a notch or two – but as he wet the questing fingertips, he knew he was playing a part in his own seduction. Which Sasuke knew too. The bastard.

The brush of the raven's thigh against his hard cock was just icing on the cake, making him crave far more friction against the neglected member. He felt the need pooling in his stomach, and knew that as much as he protested, he wanted this from Sasuke. He wanted to know that Sasuke cared enough to desire him. And desire was the emotion written all over the bastards face.

Sasuke took his fingers out and traced them down the tan skin of Naruto's chest, leaning in to replace the fingers with his lips and tongue. There was a sweet edge of balance in the kiss. Naruto pulled him closer, letting his fingertips trace up Sasuke's back as counterpart to the hand that brushed ever so lightly against his straining cock. He groaned into the kiss, nails digging in a bit harder than before, and felt the raven smirk against his mouth.

The lips left his and traced down his throat, nibbling none-too-gently against the skin. He tried not to writhe against the combined attack of the mouth and the hand that was still way too gentle for his liking, teasing him in a way that made him want to put his hand down and force the raven to do it right. He had a sneaking suspicion Sasuke wouldn't approve of that though. The fingers traced back about the same time as the raven lowered to suck on his collarbone, the fierceness of the mouth so different from the soft teasing of the fingers.

When Sasuke reached his nipple, he sucked at it in a way that made Naruto arch his back. Then, he bit down, drawing a strangled gasp from the blond before he realized that the bite masked the entrance of a finger into his ass. It was swiftly followed by another, moving far too harshly than necessary – but moving skillfully enough to make Naruto's vision go hazy.

He tugged the raven up for a kiss, not really caring about or needing more preparation, just wanting him now. He pulled back and glared up at red eyes, saying, "If you're going to do it, bastard, then just do it."

That did the trick. Soon, fingers were replaced by something far larger. Naruto pulled his legs up and around Sasuke's body, momentarily cursing himself for his impatience because of the spike of pain. Then he only felt full, full of Sasuke, catching his breath before the other pushed against him, trying to go deeper though there was nowhere left to go. Both of his hands had somehow found their way down to the raven's ass, and he held on tight. Naruto felt Sasuke's breath on his ear, voice asking him if he was ready before teeth captured the sensitive flesh of his earlobe. Sasuke twisted his hips a bit, making Naruto clutch his ass and dig in.

"I thought you were planning on taking my ass, bastard. I figured for more than just a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park – or is that all you know how to do with it?" he ground out, needing more. He expected an immediate response, and squeezed tightly when he didn't get it. He didn't care if the words didn't make sense. If Sasuke was going to fuck him, he wanted him to fuck him already.

Sasuke finally reacted, pulling back and giving him exactly what he wanted. It was intense, and passionate, and over the top. He urged him on with his hands, squeezing the raven's body with his legs, wishing he could take more in, that he could take everything that was in the raven. All the passion, all the anger, all the hate, every blasted emotion that drove the bastard away from the ones who loved him – he wanted to take it all. To do whatever he could. If he couldn't do that for his most precious person, what was he good for?

He let his head lie back, watching Sasuke's face as he thrust down harshly. The coupling was quick and almost violent, almost as violent as their fights. The expressions on the face above him were beautiful, though, highlighted by the light from the kitchen. All too quickly, however, such thoughts were driven out of Naruto's mind. He let a hand slide from Sasuke's ass to stroke his own neglected erection, keeping his eyes trained on those red eyes as they snapped down to observe what was going on. It didn't take much more than that to send him over the edge, feeling the wetness of his release splash between their bodies at the same time that the raven came inside him. He had no words to describe how he felt when he came, but he was able to mumble out a soft "Love you Sasuke" in the moments after, not worrying if it was overly sentimental or not. He was just being honest. And the words were true, even if Sasuke wouldn't accept them.

There was softness in Sasuke's body as they lay together afterwards, a laziness that felt totally unlike what he normally saw in the other man. He held him close, nuzzling his black hair, letting him rest. It was like Sasuke needed this, even if he wouldn't admit it. Naruto would rather the other man come to him than go to anyone else for this – he didn't trust any of the other people that Sasuke chose to hang around with. Not merely because they were criminals – Sasuke was considered a criminal too – but because none of them would ever know Sasuke the way he did.

If giving everything to Sasuke was what it took to breathe life back into him, Naruto would do it.

He tried, that night. He tried staying up, knowing without the other saying that the first one to fall asleep would lose another layer of their competition. But the emotional intensity, and the alcohol that he'd imbibed earlier, and everything else that had gone on just served to wear him down until he couldn't help but fall into a doze. Even then, he tried waking back up – but there was something unbearably right about being held by Sasuke's arms in a way that no one had ever done for him before. His sleep, when it came, was beautiful.

. . .

Something in him told him to wake up. Something his dreamself had forgotten. His anxiety was briefly quelled when he felt a hand on his face, a hand that felt so right against him. He slipped back into sleep for just a few minutes longer. Maybe more than a few minutes.

When he woke, sunlight streamed across the floor, just out of reach of his hand. He stretched out his fingers, trying to catch the sunlight, watching as dust mites danced in the warm beams.

He didn't have to look around to know that Sasuke was gone.

He expected it. It wasn't a surprise. A part of him wanted to just stay here in this place, this futon that held the memories of the night they'd shared, scents and feelings and everything else. A part of him wanted to linger in the past. The past was much easier to deal with than the future.

But there was no hope in the past.

He nodded to himself, wincing a bit as he got up from the futon and made his way into the bathroom to take a shower. He wasn't sure what he was going to do about clothes – of course the bastard wouldn't've been enough of a gentleman to leave him some. He smirked. He'd just have to catch up to him and tell him what he thought about that.

He sighed down at the scraps of cloth on the floor, trying to figure out what to do next. First off, find some clothes. Second, never tell the others about what had happened that night. It wouldn't've been the first time he'd locked something in his heart because they wouldn't understand. Third, go after that bastard with a vengeance.

He had full confidence that, in time, he could wear Sasuke down. He wouldn't ever give him up. He'd bring him back or die trying. It was his way of the ninja.