A Rip-off

He had rushed over full of enthusiasm, only to have a bucket of cold water dumped over his head. His warm face had met a cold shoulder; one could imagine Naruto's mood.

He left Peach Country in low spirits. Upon returning to Konoha, he discovered that the Daimyo had already sent people to absorb the Konoha shinobi. Watching familiar faces leave one after another only made him feel more dejected.

Back in the Hokage Office, Naruto stood by the window and gazed out over the village, his expression indescribably complicated.

When he had become Hokage, he had thought he had fulfilled his dream. Yet it had all been like a dream.

Now that the dream had ended, so had his heart.

The office door was suddenly pushed open, and a travel-worn Sasuke walked in.

"Naruto, what's going on with the village? You're going to accept the Daimyo's absorption? Do you even know—"

Naruto turned around, his eyes glistening with tears.

Sasuke swallowed the rest of his words. He watched Naruto silently for a while, then sighed. "Are you admitting defeat?"

"I've lost many times, but I've never felt as powerless as I did today. Sasuke, I don't even know where I lost."

Sasuke sighed again. After a moment of silence, he suddenly took out his Konoha forehead protector and placed it on the desk. "I'm returning this to you. I don't want to become the Daimyo's dog."

Looking at the forehead protector on the desk, Naruto lowered his head with a bitter smile. "Are you going back to Peach Country?"

"Not necessarily. In any case, I'm free now. I want to take Sakura and travel around. Maybe I'll return to the Land of Fire, or maybe..."

Sasuke did not finish his sentence. He merely smiled and raised his left hand.