Splaaash...
Rumble...
Sasuke walked through the rainy night, slowly coming to a stop as he looked at the crossroads ahead.
He was torn over whether to rush straight into Naruto's home.
Looking up at Naruto's second-floor balcony, he remembered their first misunderstanding. Naruto had stood quietly in a thunderstorm just like this one that night, too.
That night, Sasuke had taken the initiative to make up with Naruto. Naruto hadn't been angry with him, either. He had kept saying it was his own fault, that he hadn't been attentive enough. In short, he had taken all the blame upon himself.
"I misunderstood you so badly that time, but you never said you'd stop talking to me. Why this time... why?"
Sasuke murmured to himself, memories of their time together flickering through his eyes.
In the end, Sasuke still couldn't summon the courage to rush into Naruto's home and demand an explanation.
Yet the Third was carefully watching his every movement, every glance, and every change in his emotions.
Just as Sasuke was about to turn around and dejectedly head back the way he had come-
Three dark figures suddenly bounded through the distant rain, then darted inside through Naruto's second-floor balcony.
A boy's agonized screams immediately pierced the night.
"What?!"
Had Sasuke not glanced at the night sky as he turned, his eyesight alone would never have let him make out those three figures.
But the moment he heard that piercing scream, his entire body trembled, and hatred flooded his mind.
"Anyone who hurts Naruto dies!"
His Sharingan activated instantly. With a flick of his hand, a kunai appeared in his grip, and he shot toward Naruto's home, his eyes icy.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Pushing off several footholds, Sasuke leaped onto Naruto's outside balcony in an instant.
"Aah... aaagh..."
Hearing