Expiation
k.
He'll be remembered as the Rokudaime. He's made sure of that.
Rokudaime, the great Hokage, under whose rule the fewest number of Konoha ninja perished. The Hokage who managed to unite the five shinobi nations.
He remembers Tsunade, the look of fierce pride and vindication she wore, handing down to him her office.
He remembers how happy his friends were, watching from the crowds.
Kakashi and Iruka were there, Jiraiya too. Even the boss frog had come out.
He remembers the first months, how difficult it had been when Tsunade backed away, leaving him on his own.
He'd depended heavily on Gaara for a long while, because the Kazekage was what he wanted to become. And when he achieved that, he became the Hokage, the Rokudaime.
It wasn't hard, really, once he figured things out, learned how to see what people wanted of him, expected from him.
He liked it. Being Rokudaime, it felt good to be able to protect people.
But…
Tsunade wondered, he knew.
Never married, never dated. Lived alone. Never sought anyone out.
My work comes first, he'd argue. The people need me more. Look at you, you never married, you never dated.
She'd almost slapped him, then. He knew her reasons.
That didn't mean she knew his.
This wasn't the life he was supposed to lead. But…
…get distracted, lose focus, maybe, just maybe, he'd destroy everything he'd worked so hard to build…
Naruto's dream, not his.
interpret this however you like. but if you're wondering, the main idea behind this was how far guilt can drive someone. i realize that it would be virtually impossible to successfully become naruto without being found out but i imagine that for someone like sasuke, since naruto is his closest friend, if he were to play a part in naruto's death, he'd feel obligated to fulfil naruto's dreams.