They ended up at an inn for the night. Naruto seemed completely fine after Sasuke's acceptance of what had happened. Sasuke knew he released the Genjutsu manipulating his sense of time. He could feel the difference. The looming sense of something being wrong was gone, replaced by a new sense of dread, but this one was explainable and was currently cuddling against him.

Sasuke's mind hadn't stopped lingering on the aggression Naruto had shown towards him. They had fought and injured each other before and Sasuke had feared for his life before, but this had felt even more unhinged than ever. Every time Naruto freaked out, it felt more and more unhinged. Could he really accept that for the rest of his life? Because that was what it would come down to. If he chose to stay with Naruto, he'd be unsure and fearful of the next outburst for the rest of his life.

It took time to make his decision. He felt like he was betraying Naruto just by thinking about this, but the fact that he was thinking about leaving was a sign for him that he should. He knew this, but that didn't stop his heart from aching and his gut swirling with guilt. Every time Naruto turned to him and smiled a wide smile and every time Naruto clung to him seeking comfort, it cut through him like a knife. Naruto utterly and completely trusted and loved him.

The third night in the village was the moment Sasuke found his resolve. He stared at Naruto's face through the darkness in the room. Naruto was sleeping soundly and looked really comfortable. It brought a smile to Sasuke's face and he gently brought up his hand to wipe the stray strands of blond hair out of Naruto's face. His heart clenched at the idea of walking out on Naruto. It wasn't fair. He'd hurt Naruto so much, but staying was dangerous.

Naruto moved in his sleep, curling closer towards Sasuke and hiding his face against Sasuke's chest. It was a cute and familiar sight by now. Sasuke couldn't let go just yet, so he stayed a little longer, hugging Naruto and kissing the top of his head. Tears were stinging in his eyes, but with each passing moment, Sasuke was more and more sure about leaving. And if he was going to do so tonight, he shouldn't wait too long. The more of a headstart he could get, the better his chances of reaching Konoha before Naruto would caught up to him. He took a deep breath and swallowed down the lump in his throat and the dread in his heart.

He moved very slowly, trying not to wake up Naruto and breathed a sigh of relief when he stood. He didn't take any of his stuff to make it less obvious he was gone when Naruto woke up. With the same care not to make any sound he slowly left the room.

As soon as he was sure he was well out of hearing range, he ran. It was around eleven and it was a moonless night tonight, leaving it darker than normal. The woods provided seclusion bordering on a false sense of security, but Sasuke didn't let the tranquil night slow him down. He needed as much distance as he could get. The idea of Naruto catching up to him before he reached Konoha spurred him into greater speeds than might be wise, but going any slower felt wrong and dangerous.

It was the end of the next day before he dared stop for a moment. His body was aching almost enough to drown the aching feeling in his heart, and he needed to catch his breath. It was still a long run back to Konoha, and it wouldn't help him if he pushed his limits too much.

After a week of travelling with only short breaks and virtually no sleep, haunted by the thought of Naruto being close behind him, he finally entered the familiar forest around Konoha. It left him a little time to think over the way he was going to plea his case before entering the village.

He stopped at the gate, walking up to the booth to talk to the Shinobi on guard. They both looked shocked to see him, but not hostile. Maybe they weren't seen as Nukenin yet, but just as missing in action. "I need to speak with the Hokage immediately. We might have a situation on our hands." Sasuke said.

The guards looked at each other and then back at Sasuke. "Uchiha-san! What kind of situation?"

For a moment Sasuke didn't know how to respond. What was he supposed to say? My lover tricked me into leaving the village, and now I abandoned him without him knowing and he might be after me? "There might be someone following me that could bring harm to the village." He said. It wasn't a lie, at least.

"Do you know who?" The other guard asked.

"Yes, Uzumaki Naruto." Sasuke felt a pang of guilt run through his gut. He just outright condemned Naruto. What if Naruto was actually following him, but wasn't planning on harming the village? Then he'd be no better than all the others that judged Naruto just because he was different. But deep down Sasuke knew Naruto would come and destroy everything in his path to get to him.

A thought occurred to him. Maybe he shouldn't have gone back to the village. He could have kept trouble away from Konoha, but he probably wouldn't have been able to hide for very long. He needed help, and the village was his best shot at getting that.

He swallowed, before focusing back on the guards. They were looking at him and he realised his emotions were pretty much on display. He blinked and nodded, moving to walk into the village.

Right at that moment an innate sense of danger strong enough to pin him to the ground washed over him. The familiar chakra signature felt dangerous and out of control. And it was approaching fast.

Sasuke barely managed to turn around and see Naruto barreling towards him, menacing chakra condensing in his hand into a Bijudama. He didn't get the chance to dodge and was left trying to brace himself.

The blast blew him well into the residential area, levelling several buildings to the ground. Sasuke ended up on his back, dizziness clouding his head for a moment. He turned to his side and glanced back at the gate to see it destroyed as well while blinking rapidly to clear his head. His view was soon replaced by a pair of bare feet and a menacing sound akin to a low growl sounding from above him.

Sasuke felt pain all over. Several deep cuts and prominent bruises prevented him from moving smoothly, but he managed to stand up anyway, stumbling backwards while taking in the feral look Naruto had. Naruto's eyes seemed electrified, his teeth elongated and the marks on his skin wider and darker. His hands were clawed and a cloak of chakra surrounded him, dripping down to the ground and scorching it.

"Why?" Naruto growled out, already collecting new chakra to form another Bijudama, leaving the air feel charged with energy.

Sasuke staggered to his feet. "I'm sorry." He said and he meant it, but he took a stance anyway. Looking at the destruction Naruto had already wrought, Sasuke felt regret over going back to the village, so instead of going deeper into the village, Sasuke ran back towards the gate. He was going to try and bait Naruto into following him and saving the village from more damage, while also remaining nearby enough to get back-up quickly.

Naruto followed. Every step was matched and Naruto made swipes at him. He dodged them, but barely, getting clipped a few times, so by the time he stopped in a large clearing, one of his legs was bleeding from a few deep gashes.

Naruto stopped not too far from him. For a moment Sasuke thought Naruto seemed confused about something, but it was only a fleeting look, replaced by anger and tears. "Sasuke, why? Don't you love me?" Naruto asked. His voice was uneven, affected by emotion and the hurt in it cut right through Sasuke.

"Of course I do, but-" Sasuke almost yelled back, but Naruto interrupted him.

"Then why, Sasuke? Because I don't understand! What else is there to it?" Naruto almost whined, raising his voice as well.

"Naruto, you made decisions for me and then attacked me when I showed I disagreed with you! That is not okay! You can't do that!" Sasuke yelled and took a deep breath. "You're dangerous." He added in a calmer voice.

Naruto's eyes flashed dangerously at that. Sasuke stood his ground, but the menacing aura radiation off Naruto was enough to make his breath constricted.

Naruto attacked, and all Sasuke could do was avoid most of the blows thrown at him. But like always, Naruto was just that much faster and stronger to have the upper hand.

It wasn't long before they were both breathing hard. Sasuke had managed to injure Naruto a few times as well, but Naruto barely seemed to notice and the volatile chakra healed any wounds quickly. Anger never left Naruto's face and his eyes never left Sasuke. His whole focus was on him. Sasuke needed to submit, needed to stay with him. Why didn't Sasuke understand?

Naruto launched himself at Sasuke again, literally crushing through Sasuke's guard by breaking Sasuke's arm with the sheer force of his kick. Sasuke landed on his side several feet away, wincing in pain and cradling his arm. Breathing hurt too, more than it should, telling Sasuke his ribs were bruised, if not broken. The low gurgling feeling in his lung made it obvious they were indeed broken and damaging him lung.

Sasuke's eyes focussed on Naruto's feet, watching them slowly walk closer. He rose his gaze to see Naruto's face and was met with a terrible sight. Naruto was crying, but at the same time, his anger was unmistakable. It was like seeing a war between two people in one mind, and Sasuke realised that that might very well be the case. Naruto seemed to be muttering to himself and his eyes darted around like he was trying to find the person talking to him.

Naruto's steps were uneasy, each one showing the same difficulty that Sasuke had seen on his face. Sasuke tried to push himself backwards but cringed in pain when he felt the bones in his leg scratch over each other, indicating a break in his femur. Together with his arm and ribs that left him almost completely immobile.

Sasuke struggled to get up, to get away, but his body wasn't doing what he wanted. He hated how quickly Naruto had brought him down. It almost seemed unfair. It didn't help that Naruto was edging closer more quickly, seemingly losing the struggle between harming Sasuke and trying not to.

"Naruto... stop this... I am hurting... This isn't... what you... promised me." Sasuke was barely able to form a sentence between strained breaths. His mind had jumped back to a promise Naruto made to him time and time again; Naruto would make Sasuke's death painless.

For a moment Naruto stopped and cocked his head. Then a grin spread over his face that made him look absolutely insane. "Who said I was going to kill you now? The dead don't suffer." It was said calmly, controlled, but at the same time there was a giddy undertone that made it terrifying. And it was enough to get Sasuke so close to panic. He scrambled back despite the pain running through his body.

Unfortunately, the conclusion Naruto had reached meant there was no longer any doubt in his steps, and for all the distance Sasuke managed to cover, Naruto had no trouble closing it faster than before.

Instead of diving at Sasuke as Sasuke was expecting Naruto to do, Naruto kind of lingered next to him, grinning and mumbling words probably meant to have been thoughts. Fragments of arguments for and against breaking Sasuke even further followed each other rapidly, making it impossible to completely follow. Some part, the losing part, was still trying to protect Sasuke from himself.

Sasuke watched a clawed hand descend slowly towards his face, the nails thick and sharp. His body chose that moment to completely give out, refusing to listen to him even to just lift his unbroken arm and shield his face for whatever good that was going to do. So instead he turned away his face, shutting his eyes and prepared for the inevitable harm Naruto wanted to deliver. Tears of frustration ran down his face, at his own vulnerability, at Naruto's insanity and for his heart breaking.

The hit didn't come. A strangled yelp followed by a low growl and the sound of creeping wood filled the air instead. He flinched at the sound and waited a second before opening his eyes. Naruto had been dragged back from him, intertwined in wood that kept him in place. Naruto was twisting and turning as much as he could, growling and hissing at the newfound restraint, but surprisingly the restraint held firm.

Kakashi appeared in between him and Naruto, blocking his view of Sarutobi appearing near Naruto and approaching him. Another presence was hidden not to far away, channeling Chakra at an even rate. But Sasuke's focus was still solely on Naruto. Even when Kakashi started asking him questions, he ignored them in favour of watching what was happening to Naruto.

"Come on, we need to leave here." Kakashi said, leaving no time for Sasuke to protest as they disappeared in a swirl of leafs and reappeared in the middle of a medical team on stand-by. Sasuke didn't struggle. He just let everything happen, letting himself fall back and close his eyes in an attempt to process the last few hours. He barely noticed unconsciousness overtook him, and he didn't really know whether it was real unconsciousness, or exhaustion pulling him into sleep.

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