Walk of shame

Naruto walked home, completely alone, as the twilight set in. What had gotten in to him lately? One careless day with his mom's panties, and his whole world comes crashing down on him.

One month ago, he looked at Sasuke, and he saw an incentive to better himself, someone who, as a competitor, drove him to improve his ninja skills.

And you know what? It was working, it had worked for years. And, now, he was a war hero, well on his way to earning the hokage tittle. In other words, Sasuke was a great rival to have. But now...

Now he didn't know what he saw.

His experiences in girl form didn't just vanish when he turned back, they kept nagging, just at the edge of his mind, a nuisance that would not go away. And now, looking at Teme made him feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. There was none of that burning determination, toeing the line of anger, that used to make them argue all the time.

And that was the problem, wasn't it? When Sasuke was his rival, everything was right with the world, he was a known factor and Naruto had no doubts about anything. It was a very well-resolved life. He had his friends, his village and his dream. That was enough. It had been enough...

With newfound determination, Naruto steeled himself to put this whole Naruko business behinde him, or better still, in a closed box to never, ever open again.

However, as the saying goes, 'man plans and God laughs'. So, just as his pace gained a little bit of confidence, the Teme in question had to appear from nowhere, grab him by the turtle-neck and pin his body against a wall in a deserted alley.