Sasuke Uchiha stared at the Hokage Monument with a somewhat nostalgic look. It had been five years since he'd last seen it, and now, there were six faces were situated in the stone instead of four. The face of the fifth Hokage, Tsunade, seemed to stare down at him with anger and disappointment, but Sasuke was pretty sure that was just his vivid imagination, so he let his gaze graze the last face on the mountain. As his eyes roamed over the familiar features, the Uchiha nearly sighed. The face was handsome, even if it was captured in a moment of seriousness despite its owner's usual cheerful attitude. But time changes people, Sasuke assumed and continued his observation.

He stood in front of Konoha's main gate, waiting for the ANBU to come and get him. Since he was counted as a missing nin, the barrier surrounding the village should have reported him to its caster's, who in turn were committed to inform the Hokage. Now that he thought about it, he'd crossed the barrier's borders nearly six minutes ago. Why, he wondered, why hadn't the ANBU showed up already? Didn't they see him as a threat? At that thought, the Sharingan wielder snorted. As if. They definitely vowed him as a threat, as much he knew. He had killed Orochimaru and Itachi – both may've been enemies of the Leaf, but Sasuke had been the snake Sannin's apprentice before, and right after his revenge on Itachi, he'd been told his Aniki's true story and instead of returning to Konohagakure, had decided to barge in the Gokage summit to kill the person who ordered his brother to slaughter his own clan. But after he completed that goal, too, he still had been unable to forgive the Leaf. And so, he'd once again turned into the wrong direction, attempting to destroy Konoha and, while he was on it, finish off his ex-teammates and sensei too. But before that could happen, the 4th great shinobi war had begun and thus, he'd had the chance to talk to his brother and the previous Hokage, and, at long last, had come to acknowledge a few things, getting his facts straight and had finally asked himself what he'd been doing all of his life. He'd spent his entire time focusing on his hatred, had shut out the light and vowed his life to darkness, revenge and death. Not once had it occurred him that maybe this particular way of gaining power wasn't the best. He still wasn't able to admit it aloud. But that didn't matter. Finally, he had come into terms with what he had decided would be his new purpose in life.

A movement before him caught his attention, not really catching him off-guard, just surprising him a bit. Even if he knew it was stupid, he'd kind of confided himself that no ANBU-welcoming committee meant that he still was welcome in this village he once called home – and wished to call home again. „Sasuke Uchiha, S-class criminal, user of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. You are no longer welcome in this village or country. I am here to imprison you. I don't wish to fight, and if you let yourself be captured peacefully, it will be counted in your favour. Tuck your hands behind your head and leave your Sharingan turned out. "

Sasuke listened to that voice, that beautiful, infuriating voice he'd longed to hear for so long. As he followed the orders given by that voice, he lifted his gaze and locked it with the one of the man standing a few feet away from him inside the village. The colour and intensity of these eyes still managed to shock him every single time he saw them, still managed to make him search through him vocabulary in order to find words good enough to describe them, the way they shone every time the Shinobi they belonged to felt a strong emotion, the way their colour seemed to change to match his mood, these eyes that, for once, were unreadable for the pale boy who had given up his security and exposed his vulnerable underbelly to show he wouldn't try to pick up a fight.

After all, the only reason he'd come back, the only reason he would want to stay because of, was the person those eyes belonged to. Naruto Uzumaki.