In the evening, Naruto was preparing his belongings for travel. As he was busy packing his bag, the doorbell suddenly rang. Curious about who would visit him at this hour, he went to check.
When he opened the door, he was surprised, but then he smiled and said, "Come in, Sasuke."
Sasuke stepped inside, his gaze sharp. "Are you still thinking about leaving?"
Naruto lowered his head, remaining silent.
Sasuke suddenly shouted, his anger evident, "So you're really going… Then why did you bring me back if you were planning to leave?!"
Naruto quickly responded, "I'm not running away from the village… I'm just leaving for a while, and I'll come back to check on all of you."
Sasuke walked further into the room, brushing Naruto's shoulder as he passed. He then let out a sigh and muttered, "What am I even thinking…? Once something gets into your head, no one can change your mind, not even by force."
Naruto smiled as he closed the door. "You're right about that."
Sasuke turned to face him. "But how do you plan to leave when you're the Sixth Hokage? And more importantly, how did Tsunade agree to this?!"
Naruto replied calmly, "Just because I'm Hokage doesn't mean I have to be locked inside the village. And it's only natural that Tsunade-baa-chan agreed. She's still here, and the village doesn't need both of us. One is enough to handle things."
Sasuke felt a wave of disappointment, realizing that Naruto had fully made up his mind and there was no turning him back. As his eyes wandered around the room, they landed on Naruto's travel bag. His expression changed to one of shock.
"Are you planning to leave now?! Or are you just getting ready?" Sasuke asked, surprised.
Naruto shook his head. "Not now… I'll leave at dawn."
Sasuke's eyes widened. "What?! I didn't expect you to leave this soon!"
Then, with a smirk, he added sarcastically, "If I hadn't found out, were you planning to leave without telling me?"
Naruto smiled in agreement, but then his expression turned serious. "Sasuke, I need a favor from you. Promise me you'll do what I ask."
At that moment, Sakura was walking home, exhausted. "Finally… I finished everything Tsunade-sama asked of me. She didn't give me a moment to rest," she muttered.
Then, she suddenly remembered Naruto. She had wanted to talk to him earlier but hadn't gotten the chance.
Feeling uneasy about his strange behavior, she decided to check on him. When she arrived at his house, she hesitated. "I don't want to bother him… What if he's not in the mood to see anyone?"
Summoning her courage, she stepped forward and was about to ring the doorbell when she heard Naruto speaking inside.
"Promise me you'll do what I ask."
She froze, her hand hovering over the doorbell, listening intently.
Sasuke sounded surprised. "A favor?! And what is it that you want so badly?"
Naruto's voice was firm, filled with seriousness. "I want you to look after Sakura in my absence. Stay by her side at all times, never leave her alone. Make sure she's safe."
Sasuke opened his mouth to respond, but Naruto continued, "Never refuse her anything. If she needs something, don't hesitate to help. And most importantly, don't let her go on missions alone. You must be with her wherever she goes. I'm afraid something might happen to her, and I don't want to carry the burden of that guilt."
Sasuke stood still, shocked. He had always known Naruto had feelings for Sakura, but he never realized the depth of those emotions.
Outside the door, Sakura was equally stunned. "What is Naruto saying?! Why is he asking Sasuke-kun to take care of me like this?! And why… why did he say 'in my absence'?! Is he planning to leave us?!"
Sasuke, after a moment of silence, finally spoke. "Don't worry about her. She'll be fine. This isn't exactly a difficult task for me."
Naruto's eyes remained resolute. "Promise me."
Sasuke was taken aback. "Do you really not trust me that much?!"
Naruto quickly shook his head. "It's not that… I just want to leave knowing for sure that she'll be safe."
Sasuke sighed and finally said, "Fine. I promise. I won't leave her side. I'll be with her wherever she goes to make sure nothing happens to her. Does that put your mind at ease?"
Naruto's tense expression softened slightly. "Yeah… I trust you. I know you'll take good care of her until I return."
Sasuke then began asking Naruto the same questions Tsunade had asked earlier.
Meanwhile, outside, Sakura was barely able to stand. If not for the wall supporting her, she would have collapsed.
"How… How did I not notice this about him? Why didn't he tell me the truth? Was he planning to leave without even saying goodbye?!"
But what shocked her even more was hearing how much Naruto cared about her. He hadn't asked Sasuke to watch over anyone else—just her.
"All this time… I never realized how much I meant to him. And I… I've been hurting him for years without knowing."
She felt overwhelmed with emotions, trapped in an endless storm of thoughts. Then, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching the door.
Panicked, she turned and ran as fast as she could before anyone could see her. Tears streamed down her face without her even realizing it. "What is happening?! How could the person who loves this village the most want to leave it? I never imagined this day would come…"
Later that night, as Sasuke was about to leave, Naruto asked him to stay until dawn. He needed Sasuke to say goodbye to the villagers and especially to their old academy friends on his behalf since Naruto didn't have time to do so himself.
When the moment finally arrived, Naruto picked up his bag and turned to Sasuke. Without a word, he pulled him into a brief hug—one of the rare times Naruto initiated such a gesture.
Sasuke stood still, surprised, but he understood. Naruto wasn't just leaving the village—he was leaving his closest friend behind.
As they pulled away, Naruto said with a grin, "Don't get yourself into trouble while I'm gone."
Sasuke smirked. "Shouldn't I be telling you that?"
Without another word, they both went their separate ways.
Sasuke took the path toward his home, while Naruto headed toward the village gates, stepping forward into the unknown.