4: Lost in Time, Bound by Fate

As the silence settled between them, Sasuke turned away, running a hand through his hair. His body was tense, but Naruto could see the cracks in his walls—cracks only he had ever managed to make.

"You're not making this easy for me," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto let out a shaky laugh, rubbing the thin cut on his neck. "Since when have I ever made things easy?"

Sasuke's lips twitched, just barely, before his expression darkened again. He turned his back to Naruto, staring at the dimly lit chamber walls.

"I can't just go back," he said after a long pause. "Not after everything."

Naruto stepped forward cautiously, as if afraid Sasuke would disappear again. "Why not?"

Sasuke exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face. "Because I—" He clenched his fists. "I betrayed you."

Naruto blinked. "Sasuke…"

"I left you," Sasuke continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "I tried to kill you. And even now, I—" He gritted his teeth. "How can you still look at me like that?"

Naruto swallowed, his chest tight. "Because you're still Sasuke."

Sasuke's fingers twitched.

Naruto took another step, closing the distance between them. "Because no matter how much you push me away, I still see the same stubborn, annoying, brilliant Sasuke who saved my life. Who made me want to be stronger."

Sasuke remained silent, but Naruto could see the way his shoulders tensed, the way his breath hitched just slightly.

Naruto hesitated for only a second before reaching out. His fingers brushed Sasuke's wrist—gentle, unsure.

Sasuke didn't pull away.

"…You're an idiot," Sasuke murmured, but his voice was softer now.

Naruto huffed a quiet laugh. "Yeah. You said that already."

For the first time in years, Sasuke turned to face him fully. His expression was unreadable, his dark eyes searching Naruto's face like he was trying to find something—an answer, maybe. Or a reason to believe him.

And Naruto just stood there, waiting.

Letting Sasuke decide.

The tension between them was heavy, thick with words left unsaid, with feelings neither had ever known how to put into words.

Finally, Sasuke exhaled, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again. "One condition."

Naruto raised a brow. "Huh?"

Sasuke hesitated, then looked at Naruto with something almost vulnerable. "If I come back… don't leave me."

Naruto's breath caught in his throat.

And then, without thinking, without hesitating—he grabbed Sasuke's wrist tighter and pulled him into a hug.

Sasuke stiffened, his breath hitching. But Naruto just held on.

"I never will," Naruto whispered. "I promise."

For a long moment, Sasuke didn't move. Then—slowly, carefully—he lifted a hand, gripping the fabric of Naruto's jacket like he was afraid to let go.

And in that quiet, fragile moment, Naruto knew.

Sasuke was coming home.

The gates of Konoha stood before them, and for the first time in years, Sasuke felt the weight of home pressing down on his chest. The village was just as he remembered—yet distant, like something from another life.

Naruto stepped forward, glancing back at him with that same unwavering grin. "You ready?"

Sasuke exhaled. "I don't know."

Naruto chuckled, reaching out a hand. "Then let's go together."

Sasuke hesitated for only a second before lifting his own hand—

And then the world twisted.

A deafening crack split the air, followed by a rush of wind. The space behind Sasuke seemed to rip apart, swirling like ink dissolving in water. A dark vortex spiraled into existence, its pull immediate, violent.

Naruto barely had time to react before Sasuke was yanked backward.

"SASUKE!"

Sasuke's fingers grazed Naruto's outstretched hand before he was swallowed whole. The world around him blurred—light and darkness folding over each other as his body was flung through the void.

And then—

When Sasuke's feet hit solid ground, he staggered forward, his Sharingan spinning as he tried to steady himself. The air was thick, heavy with chakra unlike anything he had felt before.

His surroundings came into focus—

Ancient stone structures, half-buried in moss. The sky was a deep, endless blue, stars unfamiliar in their constellations. A ruined temple loomed in the distance, its walls cracked with age.

This wasn't Konoha.

This wasn't now.

A cold realization settled over him. He had been pulled somewhere—somewhen—against his will.

A voice echoed from behind him.

"You don't belong here."

Sasuke spun around, hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

Standing atop a broken pillar was a figure clad in tattered robes, their face obscured by shadow. But their chakra—it was immense. Ancient.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Where am I?"

The figure tilted their head. "The better question, Uchiha Sasuke, is when you are."

Sasuke's breath caught.

And far away, beyond time and space, Naruto's voice still echoed through the fading rift—

"SASUKE! WHERE DID YOU—?!"

Then, silence.

Sasuke clenched his fists. Wherever he was, whenever he was—he would find a way back.

No matter what.

Naruto stood frozen, his outstretched hand still reaching for empty air.

One second. That's all it had taken. One second too slow, one second too late.

"Sasuke?" His voice cracked, disbelief thick in his throat.

The portal had vanished—gone as suddenly as it appeared, leaving nothing but a few stray embers of energy flickering in the air. The village was silent behind him, the people watching, waiting for their Hokage to act.

But Naruto couldn't move.

Because Sasuke was gone.

And he had let him go.

Sakura's sharp inhale snapped him out of it. "What… what just happened?" Her voice trembled. She had been running toward them when it happened, had seen Sasuke reach for Naruto's hand—only for the universe to rip him away.

Naruto's fists clenched so hard his nails cut into his palms. "No," he whispered. His chakra flared wildly, the ground beneath him cracking. No. No. NO.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go. They were supposed to walk through the gates together. He had promised.

He had promised.

"I should've grabbed him," Naruto muttered, his voice raw. "I should've held on tighter."

"Naruto—" Kakashi's voice was calm but firm, but Naruto barely heard him.

His own words from moments ago echoed in his head:

"Let's go together."

But he didn't go with him.

He left Sasuke alone. Again.

Sakura turned to him, her expression desperate. "We can find him, right? We can—"

But Naruto had already moved, his chakra surging as he slammed his hands together in a furious Rasengan of raw energy.

"I'm going after him."

Sakura flinched at the sheer force of his resolve, but Kakashi stepped forward, placing a firm hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto. We don't even know where he is."

Naruto shoved his hand away, his blue eyes burning. "I don't care."

His voice broke.

"I promised him."

Silence.

Kakashi's expression softened. He understood. They all did. But this—this wasn't something brute force could fix.

Still, Naruto didn't care. If he had to rip through time itself, he would.

Because he refused to lose Sasuke again.

Even if it was already too late.