Naruto sat on a rooftop, munching on a stolen apple, his grin wide as he watched Konoha's lights flicker below. "This place ain't so bad!" he shouted to no one, his voice echoing, but his heart was cold. The village was a temporary base, a place to hone his power before he walked away. The Nine-Tails' chakra, the Rasengan, his shadow clones—they were his tools to roam the world, to find why the Fourth sealed the fox in him, why he was hated. Konoha's cheers after the Chunin Exams meant nothing; its secrets were everything.Sasuke's behavior was worsening. During a mission, he'd snapped, his curse mark glowing as he crushed a rogue ninja with ruthless precision. Naruto kept his grin, joking—"Whoa, save some for me, teme!"—but his distrust deepened. Sasuke was slipping, drawn to Orochimaru's promise of power, and Naruto saw himself in that hunger. But he wouldn't chase a snake like Orochimaru; he'd forge his own path, alone, free of masters or villages.That night, Sasuke confronted him at the hospital roof, his eyes dark with rage. "You're holding back," Sasuke accused, his Chidori crackling. Naruto's grin was fierce, his Rasengan spinning. "Bring it, jerk!" he shouted, but inside, he was wary. The fight was brutal, their jutsu clashing, shaking the rooftop. Tsunade and Kakashi stopped them, but Sasuke's words lingered: "I need more power, Naruto. You wouldn't understand."Naruto laughed, brushing it off—"You're just jealous I'm cooler!"—but his heart raced. Sasuke was leaving, chasing strength, just like him. But Naruto wouldn't follow; he'd surpass him, not for Konoha, but for himself. He trained in secret, pushing his clones to two thousand, their numbers a small army. The Nine-Tails' chakra surged, red and wild, but he held it, shaping it into his Rasengan. "I'm getting out," he whispered, his facade gone. The world was waiting, and he'd be ready.The next morning, Sasuke was gone, defected to Orochimaru. Tsunade summoned Naruto, her voice grim. "You're leading a team to bring him back. Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, Choji. Don't fail." Naruto's grin was instant—"No problem, Granny!"—but his mind was elsewhere. He'd chase Sasuke, not for Konoha, but to prove his power, to show he was stronger. The mission was a test, and he'd pass it on his terms.
