Sasuke...?

"Mm…?"

Naruto opened his eyes, regaining his consciousness after being knocked out for some unknown amount of time. As his eyes regained its focus, what he could see was just white.

"Huh… where... what happened…?"

He felt a headache from oversleeping, or so he thought.

He looked around, confused at the unfamiliar environment. The room is plain and all white. He looked down at the bed, which also had only white sheets and covers.

Naruto felt anxiety creeping in and quickly sat up from the bed and tried to find an exit. His eyes quickly locked onto the steel door.

He scurried quickly towards it, not wanting to stay in this weird room for any more seconds.

But as he's about to turn the knob, the door opened itself.

A person in a grey flak jacket with a white mask stared down at Naruto.

Seeing the mask and the outfit, Naruto let down his guard a little, thinking it was those ANBU like Tsuyu.

"Mister! Where am I? I need to get to my sister…"

"Wait here." The person with the mask said quickly, closed the steel door and just left.

Naruto fidgeted in anxiety as he waited. After what felt like minutes, the same person came in.

"You will need to close your eyes and wear this blindfold."

"Uh…?"

"You cannot leave the room unless you did." He said without emotion.

"Uh. Okay…"

Naruto complied and wore them. As soon as he did, the man took Naruto into his arms.

"W-whaa!" Naruto felt himself being carried in his arms and they were moving here and there very fast. He felt like the guy was jumping up and down too causing his head felt like spinning.

After such a torturous experience, he finally put Naruto down. His knees were a bit wobbly from the dizziness, but he regained his footing.

…

"Mister…?" 

Naruto can hear the atmospheric sound of being outside, the rustling of leaves and the wind, footsteps or chatter of people, and maybe fire crackling. It was just that it smelt like burning and was quite smoky.

Naruto pulled up the blindfold, wondering if the mister was already gone. What he saw shocked him.

"W-where is this?"

Naruto didn't recognize the place at first. The surroundings were patched with little craters with the smell of smoke and iron. The buildings too weren't as what they used to be. But after looking carefully, it was in fact Konoha.

Almost most buildings remained standing, but it was as if the village had just been attacked. He noticed the village felt really dim and dark too. But as he turned around, his eyes widened seeing a huge hundred meters high earth wall casting the huge shadows causing the dimness.

Most of shinobi that could walk on the wall did as what Naruto did. He went up the walls instinctually to understand the situation fully. But as he finally reached at the top, his heart dropped at seeing the scene.

"This can't be real… the village…" Naruto murmured to himself.

Only parts of the village behind this huge wall remained intact. As for the sides, it was turned to nothing but rubbles on a desolate land and ashes.

He felt his heart beating out of his chest. Anxiety overtaking him as he turned to see the people on the wall. He needed an anchor to not lose his mind. He spotted a few familiar figures and called out to them quickly while running.

"Kiba! Shikamaru!"

As Kiba saw Naruto, he felt glad to see him alive and well.

"Naruto! Thank god you are alive man! Where's Tsuyu?" Kiba let out a sigh of relief seeing the blondy.

"I…"

Naruto felt his heart panicking remembering his sister. Where was she the last time? He remembered going to an alley and it all went blank.

"Tsu-chan! I… I don't know!"

Naruto felt his heart beating out of his chest. He's afraid of the worst. Tsu-chan… Where's Tsu-chan? He felt his brain going in a panic, he didn't know what to do.

He felt his stomach twisting, he couldn't breathe, tears wetting his eyes as he looked around, trying to find his sister. He felt his world spinning as he turned to see each and every face, trying to find her. His heart was racing in panic as he kept turning trying to find even a shadow of her.

"Oi! Hold yourself together!" Kiba shook Naruto's shoulder hard and brought him to his senses.

"She's with the ANBU right. Maybe she's doing work with all these things that happened. Don't worry for now, okay?"

"I… am just scared."

"I know. Just calm down, dude." Kiba looked at Naruto with worry. His hands holding Naruto grounded him from losing himself.

"Okay. Right. Got it."

"..." Naruto still couldn't get the worry out of his head. But what Kiba said was logical. She might be working outside. He regained composure for a while. But as he turned to look at the ruins and destruction again, he remembered Sasuke.

He recalled the fact that Sasuke lived at the edge of Konoha. And that means…

His pupil contracted at the implication.

No. No no no…

"Kiba! Do you see Sasuke?!" Naruto held onto Kiba's shoulder, he wanted an answer.

"Sasuke? I don't…" Kiba's gears in his head was also turning, realising that Sasuke's home was within the area of whatever destroyed the village.

"Oh god…" Kiba already thought Sasuke was dead. Naruto saw Kiba's face, and the same thought couldn't be helped but also surfaced in Naruto's mind. Tears brimmed in his eyes again as the worst scenario popped in his mind.

Sasuke… Sasuke!

"Naruto! Where are you going!"

Naruto quickly jumped down the wall and flickered all over the place, heading to the outskirts of the village. As he moved outside the area protected by the walls, he could shinobis around here and there, looking for survivors. His heart paused for a second as he saw 2 people unearthed a charred corpse from under the rubbles. The scent of burnt flesh made his stomach twisted with nausea coming over him. But he hold himself, he couldn't falter now.

No…

Naruto kept flickering, finally reaching the parts where the Uchiha Compound once stood. He looked at the ground, seeing a burnt piece of a flag bearing a red and white colour that survived the destruction.

"SASUKE! SASUKE! WHERE ARE YOU!" Naruto called out to Sasuke, hoping he would hear and reply.

Naruto tried to figure out where Sasuke's home was specifically, the Uchiha's District was too big, but he just couldn't find it with how everything looked the same.

"Sasuke… Nnh…" After minutes of tossing around, screaming out his name, he felt his heart dropping, along with tears. He sniffed and covered his face, sat against a half destroyed column still remained standing.

"Sasuke…"

He recalled Sasuke's snobbish face, always calling him 'dobe' or useless… or would try to bring him down with his words. But behind those words were acknowledgement for this strength, they kept pushing each other to be better.

Sasuke was someone who was lonely too, and he had wanted to reach out - as if, he didn't want to leave him alone. The flashback of their time together replayed in his mind. How they trained together. Having Sasuke in his home, joining him for dinner. His snobbish face was annoying… 

But it hurts so much that… he couldn't see him again. Naruto held onto the front of his shirt, as if trying to hold his heart together.

It hurts… it hurts so much…

As minutes passed by, the feelings inside Naruto came to a numb point. He didn't know what to feel anymore. He just stood, his gaze casted downward onto nothing.

He walked slowly around what was once the Uchiha District.

I couldn't even say goodbye to you… stupid Sasuke…

Just then, Shikamaru and Kiba finally arrived to catch up to him. Shikamaru looked at the teared up face of Naruto, sighing at thinking what a drag he was. 

"Naruto, it was possible Sasuke was under a shelter when… that happened. We were attacked by Sky Shinobi first and the people were already evacuating. Let's look for him around there. I know where the shelters are."

"Shikamaru…!" The hope in Naruto's eyes reignited, that Sasuke might have survived.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. The trio went to the nearest shelter first. Due to being underground within fortified walls, the damage they received was still controlled. Although not everyone evacuated and simply hid in their home due to the distances.

Naruto finally understood 'death'. The scent of iron hitting his nose, the image of injuries and pain made Naruto want to throw up. The corpses pulled out from the rubbles of the collapsed shelter roof made Naruto unable to look anymore.

Just why did this have to happen to the village?

"Mom… Nhhnn… Mom… nnh…" Naruto's ears perked at the voice of a crying child. Turning his gaze to him, he felt his heart breaking at the sight. The child of just 4 years old crying over the pale skinned, cold body of his mother…

Naruto was frozen in place. The suffering. The pain. Naruto felt his body shaking slightly as he looked around. It was the same everywhere. 

"Naruto…" Kiba placed his hand on Naruto's shoulders. He too felt the same feelings, but he tried to toughen himself up.

"... There were other places to check. Come on."

Naruto nodded, turning his eyes everywhere. His eyes landed on the medical tents at the sides.

"Kiba, Shikamaru, let's check inside there!"

The trio went to check each of them, seeing the injured inside being treated or given first aid. As Naruto entered one of the tents, his eyes widened, tears brimmed in his eyes again.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke was sitting up on one of the beds. He had his leg broken from dodging the rubbles falling over his head and was stunned hearing that familiar voice, turning his head quickly.

As he turned his head, Naruto already launched himself onto him like a cannonball. 

"Sasuke!!!"

"N-Naruto! W-What are you doing!" Sasuke was flustered as he tried to push the dobe away.

"Nnh… I thought… I thought you died…" Naruto was sniffing into his shoulders.

"Tch… idiot…! you are acting weird…!" Sasuke muttered awkwardly. He didn't know how to act with Naruto like this. But inside him, he felt some warmth, the warmth he used to have from his family.

He didn't know Naruto thought of him this much. That he would cry over his life like this. This stupid Naruto… His hands hovered awkwardly just inches away from Naruto's back who were clinging to him.

Naruto pulled away quickly realising how it was too long and started to become awkward even for himself.

…

"Stupid…" Sasuke muttered slowly..

"You bastard… hmph" Naruto muttered slowly in reply.

…

"What about your sister?" Sasuke asked to shift the awkward atmosphere. But he thought since Naruto was here, Tsuyu who would be with him should be fine too.

"I don't know. I didn't see her… but… maybe she's outside working. I don't know"

Sasuke nodded. She was a shinobi already so it's understandable.

"Is your leg okay?" Naruto looked at Sasuke's bandaged leg.

"Tch. It's nothing. I am not so fragile dobe"

Shikamaru and Kiba also come in later. Though they were kicked out for disturbing the patients soon after.

Naruto heard the shinobi speaking about the attack by Land of the Sky, and how two-third of Konoha was destroyed.

And the Earth Wall that appeared barely saved what was remaining. Then the words they spoke caught Naruto's attention. About a team already dispatched to fight the Sky Shinobi on top of the flying fortress. Naruto had a feeling his sister was there at the moment and can only pray for her safe return.

***