Chapter 154 Our Promise
This kid named Gaara was something else entirely, far more than the other genin who took the Chunin Exams, desperate for recognition and a shiny new title.
In fact, the entire Sand Village team seemed to be at this level; but Gaara was different.
He was dangerous. In the first few minutes, they were testing each other's strength, carefully hiding their cards.
For Sasuke, chakra conservation was necessary, but he suspected that Gaara's restraint stemmed from something deeper - a honed caution and a feral vigilance.
He didn't realize why until Sasuke noticed his lack of concentration, and that's when the shadow of a deeper, darker power began to seep into the red-haired boy's chakra.
It was at that moment that Sasuke realized what he was fighting.
He had been with Naruto long enough to know what the tailed beasts were.
The Sunagakure kept this hidden very well and carefully, but when Sasuke got close and felt his chakra, he was sure of it.
He had no idea which Kyuubi sibling this was, but it didn't matter.
Even if he had the power to match the tailed beasts - which he didn't - this wasn't his fight.
This battle was, and always had been, Naruto's battle.
---
Later that night, a few days after they moved in with Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke mentioned that promise to Naruto.
Sakura had fallen asleep due to running out of chakra from training, but Naruto was too excited that night to sleep, so Sasuke stayed with him.
At first, he thought Naruto's uneasiness had to do with his new surroundings - after all, Naruto had lived in that small apartment for as long as he could remember - but he soon discovered that it was something else, something more familiar.
That was the energy Sasuke had felt when they had first met, when their relationship was based on brutal competition and mutual respect, punctuated by snide insults and awkward silences.
Sasuke had learned how to recognize the signs, and he knew that it meant that the beast inside Naruto - which he now knew was the great fire demon that had been sealed inside him since he was nine months old - was approaching the surface.
Was that really years ago? he wondered. It felt like forever.
He couldn't imagine what it would be like to go back in time, consumed by the darkness of revenge and isolation, and ignore light and friendship.
He wondered what would have happened if Naruto hadn't been so dazzling, if he hadn't been so persistent.
So that night, Sasuke and Naruto had a fight.
For a moment, it was as if they were back in the clearing where they had first met - all destruction and chaos, bloody lips and relentless attacks.
But then, just like the first time, something changed. It became less of a battle and more of a dance, as they relearned each other's strengths and weaknesses, understood each other's growth and areas for improvement.
And just as Sasuke knew, it worked.
Naruto calmed down and regained himself.
When they were exhausted and bruised, Naruto gave him a grateful look, and that was enough.
Afterwards, Sasuke pulled Naruto's hair - the second time that month he commented on the length of Naruto's hair - and Naruto agreed to let him cut it.
Naruto sat in a chair leaning against the sink while Sasuke cut his hair while wetting his matted blond hair with water to make sure it was a neater cut this time.
Naruto's wet hair shone golden in the bathroom light, with a few barely noticeable strands of red making it appear amber.
"Your mother has red hair, right?" he asked, Naruto looked up, drops of water falling from his forehead and dripping down his temple.
"Yes," he said quietly, his clear blue eyes full of curiosity, "Did I tell you?"
Sasuke shook his head, gathered a few strands of hair together, measured the length with his fingers, and began to trim.
"The Yondaime Hokage's hair is normal blond, but yours has some red in it."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.
Sasuke tilted his head and asked:
"do not you know?"
Naruto shook his head slightly, thoughtfully, and stared at the scissors in Sasuke's hand carefully.
"Kyuubi knew her, right?" Sasuke asked, suddenly feeling the need to break the silence. He knew the answers to most of the questions, but Naruto's silence forced him to speak. "She was also a former Jinchūriki."
"Yes." Naruto answered, "Kyuubi told me everything about her when I was very young, right after..."
It was at that moment that Sasuke realized something was wrong.
Naruto never hid anything from him, nor did he ever feel the need to, but there were still things that Naruto hadn't told him, and this was one of them.
"Right when?" Sasuke demanded after a long pause, giving Naruto time to think.
"Before I made a promise to the Kyuubi," Naruto admitted, speaking only after a long moment, during which Sasuke had finished trimming and was adjusting the cut hair.
"What promise?"
“An important commitment.”
Naruto turned around and looked up at him, his eyes serious and a little uncertain.
Before Naruto could explain himself, Sasuke snorted, interrupting his thoughts, and tilted his head, lowered his shoulders, and met Naruto's eyes.
"I have the same commitment to you," he reminded her.
Yes, I will be there for you, whatever you need.
Yes, I will do whatever needs to be done, no matter what it is.
Yes, I will pull you out of the abyss, no matter what happens.
"That seems a bit over the line," Naruto said seriously.
Sasuke shrugged.
"It's ok."
Naruto stared at him for a long moment, and Sasuke stared back at him, his eyes calm and determined.
---
Ultimately, it was an easy task, not even beyond what Sasuke was willing to do.
Save the Kyuubi's brothers and sisters. Save the tailed beasts. Stop those who caused this.
So, this isn’t his fight, but will he sit out?
of course not.
---
Pain shot through Gaara's brain, red blurring his vision, though only for a moment.
He felt the monster inside him roaring, wanting to rush out to protect him, his mother, and Gaara only knew its violent, feral instincts.
They are part of each other and inseparable.
The sand around him tumbled and rose in a raging wave that wrapped huge, rough fingers around his arms, over his back, and toward his open wounds.
The sand and blood mixed together and crystallized into a hard protective shell that served as both armor and bandage, sharp and painful.
