Konoha.
The warm afternoon sunlight fell on Sasuke Uchiha.
He had only just stepped through the Space-Time Portal and returned to Konoha.
Sasuke's feet touched solid ground, and the weight of his body returned in an instant.
He swayed slightly, then steadied himself.
This was the rooftop of the Hokage Building.
He had landed exactly here, without the slightest deviation.
The Rescue Team had departed from this very spot.
The rooftop railing gleamed gray in the sunlight, and Hokage Rock was clearly visible in the distance.
But before he could take another step-
"Sasuke?"
A voice came from beside him, carrying unmistakable surprise.
Sasuke turned his head.
Naruto Uzumaki was sitting on the rooftop railing, one leg folded beneath him and the other dangling outside, his balance looking precarious enough that he could topple off at any moment.
He wore his familiar orange jacket, his forehead protector tied around his forehead, and he was still chewing something.
Naruto's eyes were wide and round, his mouth slightly open, as though checking that he had not seen wrong.
"Why are you back?"
Naruto jumped down from the railing and walked over to him in a few strides. "Didn't you go to the Alternate Space with Granny Tsunade and the others? Why did you come back alone?"
"Where are the others?"
"What happened?"
Sasuke looked at Naruto, his brow twitching slightly.
"Why are you still here?"
"Me?"
Naruto pointed at his own nose, then said matter-of-factly, "I'm waiting here for you guys, of course."
He glanced around, lowered his voice, and leaned closer to Sasuke.
"I've been here ever since you left for the Alternate Space. The Hokage Building's rooftop has the best view. You can see in every direction across the village."
"And if anything happened on your end, I needed to