Lost Bonds

Synopsis
Naruto recalls his fight with Sasuke at the Valley of the End, where Sasuke told him that they were best friends and that he would fight to sever that bond with Naruto. Naruto wakes up, realising he was dreaming about the past. He notices Yamato watching intently over him and decides to go back to sleep again, reminiscing on his past memories regarding Sasuke. He remembers when Sasuke had beaten him in shurikenjutsu and how he considered Sasuke his rival from that point on, and when he found out Sasuke's entire clan had been wiped out. After Sasuke was placed on Team 7 with him, Naruto trained solely to catch up to Sasuke, remembering how the two competed against one another to master the Tree Climbing Practice in the Land of Waves.

However, he also thinks back to when Sasuke had told them that his goal was to restore his clan and destroy a certain someone, whom Naruto later learned was his brother Itachi, and remembers when the two fought. At the Valley of the End, Sasuke had told him that he would never understand the pain and suffering he was going through since he was all alone from the beginning and how he wanted to sever the bond between him and Naruto, and how he had finally managed to reunite with Sasuke after three years, only for Sasuke to remain steadfast and tell Sai that the only bond he had was the bond of hatred he had with Itachi. Recalling how Pain told him that he would never comprehend pain to the extent needed to save Sasuke and how Kabuto told him Sasuke was a changed man as well as when Jiraiya told him to give up on Sasuke, Naruto reflects on how Jiraiya was his family and how he felt after Jiraiya was killed, and realises for the first time how Sasuke truly felt when his family was murdered.

Since Yamato was under orders to bring Naruto back to Konoha while Kakashi found Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto hides himself under the covers and uses his kunai to create a secret hole, disappearing through it while leaving a shadow clone behind to fool Yamato. Entering into his Sage Mode, Naruto locates Kakashi's chakra signature and heads to the Samurai Bridge, reflecting on Gaara's advice about doing the right thing when it comes to Sasuke. Naruto muses that he would know the right thing to do once he encounters Sasuke.

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