CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER ONE
"Maybe… It’s Time to Go Home."
The sky was soft that morning — pale, colorless, clouded in silence.
Sasuke stood at the edge of a forest clearing, the last embers of his mission flickering behind him.
The ruins of the hidden village, the scattered whispers of exploding humans, the name Chino — all of it faded into stillness. It was over.
The wind shifted, and a single hawk soared overhead.
He raised his eyes as the bird swooped down in a sharp arc, circling once before landing with quiet precision on a nearby rock. A small scroll tied to its leg.
Sasuke approached in silence. Untied the parchment. Unrolled it.
Two letters.
One in Kakashi’s careful script.
The other… filled with messy, familiar kanji and the bold greeting that almost made Sasuke smirk.
“Oi, Teme.”
Naruto.
Sasuke read it slowly.
Naruto’s words were the same as always — loud even on paper. Annoying. Kind. Honest.
He talked about ramen, the village, missions, and how he still had no idea how to deal with paperwork.
At the end, he added, “Tsunade-baa-chan says your chakra is still abnormal. You better not be overdoing it. And… next time you’re around, come say it to my face. Idiot.”
Sasuke didn’t smile. But something in his chest shifted.
Kakashi’s letter was quieter. More reserved. A request.
“Come back. Briefly. There are things I need your eyes for.”
That was it.
Sasuke lowered both letters.
The wind blew again. Leaves swirled in a slow, lazy dance.
He exhaled.
Quietly.
Maybe… it’s time to go home.
Konoha.
The gates hadn’t changed.
Tall, familiar, sturdy — standing like time itself hadn’t moved.
Sasuke stepped through them without hesitation. No fear. No shame.
Only the steady rhythm of his boots on stone, and the curious glances of villagers too stunned to approach.
Whispers rose behind him.
“That’s—”
“Is that really him?”
“Uchiha Sasuke…?”
But he didn’t hear them.
He was already walking toward the Hokage Tower.
At the Hokage Tower
“—He’s back?” Naruto’s voice echoed through the hall like an explosion.
Shikamaru sighed. “Yeah, we got the bird twenty minutes ago. He just crossed the gate.”
Naruto jumped to his feet. “Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner?!”
Sakura looked up from the file she was holding, heart skipping. “Sasuke…?”
Inside the Hokage’s Office
Kakashi was standing at the window, one hand resting on the edge of his desk.
Shikamaru stood beside him, reading a scroll with mild boredom.
Sasuke entered.
Kakashi didn’t turn. “You came.”
“You called,” Sasuke replied. His voice was low, effortless.
Kakashi turned, his face mostly hidden beneath his mask, but the visible eye crinkled slightly. “And here I was thinking I’d have to use Naruto as bait.”
Sasuke didn’t answer.
Shikamaru set the scroll down. “There’s no danger, no enemy. Just a favor.”
Sasuke’s gaze narrowed.
Kakashi gestured toward the side of the room. “She’s the favor.”
And that’s when he saw her.
She was sitting on a low bench, swinging her feet slightly above the floor.
Tiny frame, red hair falling like soft fire over her shoulders, and eyes — large, luminous, and a violet so strange it almost looked unreal.
She looked up at him.
Bright. Curious.
Then blinked.
And smiled.
“Hi,” she said cheerfully. “You look grumpy.”
Sasuke blinked.
Shikamaru almost choked.
Kakashi looked like he was holding back a laugh.
“She’s not a ninja,” Kakashi said calmly. “No chakra. No family. Just a traveler who got stuck in the wrong place during the last village evacuation. She needs an escort back to her home.”
“Why me?” Sasuke asked, voice cold.
“Because her village is far, the roads are unguarded, and you’re the only one with free time and no obligations.”
“I don’t need an escort,” the girl — Sora, Kakashi had said earlier — interrupted. “I just need someone who won’t let me get eaten by wolves.”
She paused.
Then looked up at Sasuke again.
“…Can you do that, Mister Grumpy?”
Sasuke stared.
For the first time in weeks, his mind was completely… blank.
And outside, the wind whispered again — quiet, knowing.
The road was calling.
And so was she.
Kakashi was about to speak again when the door opened behind them.
“Yo, Kakashi-sensei! You said you needed—”
Naruto Uzumaki stepped into the room, blond hair messier than usual, orange jacket half-zipped, and a wide grin already on his face.
He looked around — and saw Sasuke standing there.
The grin stayed, but his voice shifted, a little softer now. “There you are, teme. I heard you showed up at the gate an hour ago. You were gonna leave without seeing me?”
Sasuke turned just slightly. “I hadn’t decided yet.”
Naruto scoffed, walking up beside him. “Still as dramatic as ever, huh?”
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
Sora, still seated at the bench, blinked. “Oh. You two really know each other.”
Naruto glanced at her, then laughed. “Know him? He’s my best friend and the most stubborn guy on the planet. We’ve been trying to kill each other since we were twelve.”
“You’re terrible at friendship,” Sora said flatly. “Just saying.”
Sasuke sighed.
Naruto blinked at her. “Uh… who’s this?”
Kakashi gestured. “That’s Sora. She needs an escort to her village.”
Naruto gave her a little wave. “Hey.”
Sora stood up, gave a quick bow. “Nice to meet you. Can I go with you instead? You seem less haunted.”
Naruto blinked. “Wait—what?”
She pointed toward Sasuke casually. “This guy doesn’t seem thrilled about me being here. I think I’d rather walk with someone who smiles.”
Shikamaru turned his back, shoulders shaking from holding back laughter.
Sasuke gave her a long, flat stare.
“You talk too much,” he said coldly.
She met his gaze without flinching. “And you say too little. Balance.”
A pause.
Naruto leaned toward Kakashi, whispering, “She’s got a death wish, doesn’t she?”
Kakashi chuckled quietly. “She has no idea who he is, Naruto.”
Sasuke turned back to Kakashi. “…We leave at dawn.”
Sora blinked. “Wait, what? Really?”
He was already walking toward the door. “Be ready.”
She looked stunned for half a second — then quickly grabbed her bag and followed after him with a tiny sigh. “Seriously, you all talk like walking is punishment.”
The door closed behind them.
Shikamaru exhaled. “He’s going to lose his mind.”
Naruto grinned. “Or finally find it.”
Kakashi’s eye crinkled. “We’ll see.”
