13: Roots of Remembrance

The forest was quiet. The kind of quiet that settled deep in the bones, wrapping around everything like a heavy fog.

Sasuke stood at the edge of a secluded clearing, staring up at the night sky. The moonlight cast pale shadows across his face, highlighting the exhaustion in his eyes.

This was it.

Sasuke had spent years chasing revenge, pushing away everyone who had tried to reach him. After the war, after everything, he found himself standing in a world that no longer needed him. Naruto had become the hero of the village, rebuilding what they had both fought to protect. Everyone had moved forward. Everyone except him.

No matter how much he tried to atone, the weight of his past never left him. The faces of those he had hurt, the ones he had killed, haunted him every night. He had thought that by staying away—by wandering alone—he could make things right. But all he had done was disappear into nothing.

The last time he had seen Naruto, the blonde had smiled at him, telling him there was still a place for him. That he was never truly alone. But Sasuke had seen it in his eyes—pity. Naruto had people who loved him, a future worth fighting for. Sasuke had nothing.

For the first time, there was no path left to walk. No battle left to fight. No reason to keep moving forward.

And so, standing beneath the empty sky, he let it all end.

No more battles. No more running. No more pretending that he had a place in a world that had long since moved on without him.

His fingers curled around the hilt of his sword. The cool metal felt familiar, comforting in a way nothing else did anymore.

He exhaled slowly.

A part of him had thought Naruto would stop him. That somehow, even after everything, he would still be there. But he wasn't.

Not this time.

Sasuke smirked to himself. I guess this is how it was always meant to end.

With a slow, deliberate movement, he raised his blade—

And drove it through his chest.

The pain was sharp, searing—but brief. His vision blurred, the world tilting as he collapsed to his knees. His breath came in shallow gasps, but he didn't fight it.

This was right.

As his body slumped against the earth, something strange began to happen. The ground beneath him trembled, roots twisting around his limbs, pulling him down into the soil. His chakra, once filled with so much hatred, now seeped into the land itself.

Leaves sprouted. Branches stretched toward the sky.

By the time the sun rose the next morning, where Sasuke had fallen—

A lone tree stood in his place.

Strong. Silent.

And forever out of reach.

The Hokage's office was drowning in paperwork. Stacks of documents littered Naruto's desk, each one demanding his attention. Reports from border patrols, funding requests, mission briefings—endless responsibilities that came with the title he had once dreamed of.

He let out a tired sigh, rubbing his temples. His mind felt heavy, but not just from the work.

It had been weeks since he visited that tree.

Since he stood there, forehead pressed against the rough bark, whispering a name that no one else dared to speak anymore.

Since he let himself feel.

Naruto picked up his pen, staring blankly at the report in front of him. The words blurred together. His grip tightened.

Damn it, Sasuke…

Even now, after all these years, he still found himself looking for him. In the streets. In passing faces. In his own shadow.

But Sasuke was gone.

And no amount of work—no amount of distractions—could change that.

A quiet knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts.

Shikamaru peeked in, raising an eyebrow. "You planning to actually read those reports, or just glare at them all night?"

Naruto forced a small smirk, leaning back in his chair. "Tch. As if you don't already know what's in them."

Shikamaru sighed, stepping inside. "That may be true, but you're the Hokage. And people are starting to notice when you space out."

Naruto tensed. "I'm not—"

"You are." Shikamaru sat down across from him, his expression unreadable. "It's about him again, isn't it?"

Naruto didn't answer.

Because he didn't need to.

The silence stretched between them before Shikamaru exhaled, shaking his head. "You know, for someone who never shuts up, you sure keep a lot bottled up."

Naruto let out a dry chuckle, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, well… what's the point of talking about something that won't change?"

Shikamaru leaned back, studying him for a long moment. "Maybe it's not about changing things," he said quietly. "Maybe it's about not forgetting."

Naruto's breath hitched.

Not forgetting.

Like he ever could.

He glanced at the stack of papers, then out the window—toward the distant forest, where a single tree stood, untouched by time.

"…Yeah." His voice was barely above a whisper.

"I know."

Years had passed. Seasons had changed.

People had come and gone.

But the tree remained.

Naruto wasn't sure what had drawn him to the forest that day. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was something deeper—something unspoken, pulling at the part of him that had never quite healed.

The clearing was quiet, untouched by time.

And there, at the center, stood a lone tree.

Naruto stopped in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat.

He didn't know how he knew.

He just did.

Slowly, he stepped forward, reaching out. His fingertips brushed against the bark—rough, solid, familiar. It almost felt warm.

"…Sasuke," he whispered.

The wind stirred, rustling the leaves above him.

Naruto swallowed, his vision blurring. He hadn't cried in years. Not like this. Not for him.

But now, standing here—feeling the weight of everything they had lost, of everything they had never said—he couldn't hold it back.

Tears slipped down his face, falling soundlessly against the roots below.

"You really were a bastard," he murmured, voice shaking. "Leaving me behind like this."

No answer. Only the quiet rustling of the leaves.

Naruto closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against the tree. The warmth was still there. Faint. As if somewhere, deep beneath the wood and roots—

Sasuke was still listening.

"…I miss you."

The wind picked up again, wrapping around him like an embrace.

And for the first time in years, Naruto allowed himself to grieve.