Chapter Text
Naruto knows Sasuke like the back of his hand, but also doesn't know him at all. He wants to think that Sasuke is that one simple childhood book he fell in love with and quite frankly - the only book he ever reads over the course of his life.
He rereads it when he is 13 years old during his training with Jiraiya - he finds a new meaning he didn't get back when he was 8 years old.
He rereads it again when he is 17 at his new apartment. He finds it while unpacking and gives it a quick skim which evolves into a 3-hour deep read because he, once again, finds a new meaning between words he is familiar with, but circumstances, mind shifts, and experiences he goes through give him a fresh perspective on the characters and their choices since his last read.
He likes to think that Sasuke is that simple childhood book that he knows but will continue to understand - simply with the urge to do so in every leap of time.
Naruto knows that other people are weirded out by his obsession. He gets it - the obsession that consumes his entire common sense is not ideal for a shinobi. He can chalk it up to brotherly love. He can chalk it up to Sasuke defecting from the village, but now that he's here in Konoha? It's not an exaggeration that he's standing over a cliff with a 160ft steep drop of unknown reasoning. Nowadays, he seldom sees the light to cross over and bridge both his desire and real-world reasoning in regards to Sasuke.
Shikamaru's inquisitive gaze doesn't help either - his sharp eyes a question of how Naruto's behavior is such a margin of error, which somehow morphs into a knowing glint as the night settles deep between six bottles of beer. Shikamaru knows, still, Naruto can't be half-assed about Sasuke.
"But you do know that you have to let go anytime soon, right?" Shikamaru gulps the last bit of his beer. "Sasuke's an alpha and he's not exactly secretive on restoring his clan."
Naruto lets out a long suffering sigh. "Yeah, I know. He's talking with someone, some clan."
"You'll be a good uncle."
"I don't want to be just an uncle." Naruto brings his hands over his face in exasperation like this should be common knowledge already with Shikamaru. He ignores the tiny prickles of heat behind his eyes and pushes out a choked "I want to be his partner."
He sounds like a petulant child throwing a tantrum in front of someone who couldn't care less, but it's not like Naruto cares. Shikamaru gets to bang Hyuuga Neji once he goes home after this; the least Shikamaru can do as his best friend is to suffer through this.
He whines some more, drumming his head on the table like it can miraculously rearrange the wrinkles on his brain.
A few patrons turn to look at them in concern, even the bar owner is looking to see if it is time to kick them out, which Shikamaru pointedly ignores.
"Yeah? And what, would you carry a child for him?" Shikamaru sneers.
"If only I can," Naruto exhales and gives his friend a tired look. "If only I can."
The war is over now.
Not the war in Naruto's head - the one that constantly agonizes over how to bed Sasuke when said alpha is talking to some omega of a respectable clan somewhere in Konoha.
God, he can't be assed to care about that girl. He's mildly panicking whenever his mind slips into thinking about Sasuke. He dreads sunset every time, as it is a testament that a day just passes by with Sasuke slipping out of his grasp, again.
Actually - he kind of knows a way.
He hears about a method when he is scouring the soft underbelly of another hidden village during a mission. From what he gathers, it is about the act of forced ABO gender alteration -nothing serious to cause harm, they say, but enough to gloss over the morally right rules of the world.
Turns out that hidden village is suffering from a declining birth rate and the solution a doctor proposes is gender alteration from alpha to omega. His heart skitters and his chakra momentarily goes haywire enough to nearly drop his facade then and there, risking his hideout and the mission.
He doesn't remember the details, but he forces himself to memorize the doctor's name.
Naruto doesn't immediately go and satiate his curiosity (and insanity) over this flimsy rumor, even if it feels like a divine revelation.
Because well, ABO gender alteration, he understands that it is something along the lines of body horror. And Naruto is somewhat of a frontman on some body modification whatnot with the Kyuubi inside of him.
Even to him, this feels different. Like something going against nature. Like something Orochimaru would do.
Two months pass by with Naruto trying his damnest to bury this ridiculous idea. Shooting the idea down an imaginary garbage disposal because he can't just violate the laws of whatever fucking rule nature has for this.
He's trying hard. So damn hard.
Until one afternoon lunch at Ichiraku, he is there with Kiba standing by his side with an arm thrown over Naruto's lazily as they watch an arm wrestling match between the freshly promoted chuunins over who is going to pay the tab.
His attention is stolen by a familiar pull of chakra that belongs to his one and only person. He turns his head with Sasuke's name ready on his tongue, which he chokes on when he sees the man talking to a short woman. Her demeanor the textbook definition of an omegan maiden. Noble, graceful, and fitted like a puzzle piece by Sasuke's side. The woman shyly smiles and brings her hand up to tuck Sasuke's bangs behind his ears, to which the Uchiha coughs, shaking his head. Naruto notices his duck-butt hair looking tamer than usual and finds that he doesn't like this girl even more.
Who does she think she is to touch his Sasuke so casually?????
Fuckkkk - Naruto exhales sharply and moves before he can think of it.
"Yo, bro, what's wrong?" Kiba exclaims, eyes wide as he feels the abrupt tension on Naruto's shoulders.
"Nothing, just forgot something," Naruto starts, already a distance away from Kiba. He shouts, "Will report my mission later, you go on ahead of me!"
He strides over to Sasuke. The couple hasn't noticed him yet.
Naruto rolls his shoulders, cracking his neck a little harshly to shake off the tension beginning to settle. It's a bitch that his gums are beginning to ache with the urge to sink his fangs in, but it's no good to let them know his growing intention to rip that woman off of Sasuke with his bare teeth. He has a reputation to care about, at least for now.
"Sasuke!" Naruto greets with a smile. "And hello to you too, Sasuke's friend," completely failing to hide the gleam of his fangs, or how his smile doesn't reach his eyes to cover up the thin thread of alpha mania seeping out of him.
To anyone else, it's just an innocent smile. Which it truly is, he believes.
Chiaki may not know that though, stepping back instinctively and bringing her arms over her chest without a thought. Politeness is beaten into her flesh and blood, so despite the alarms blaring in her head, she gives Naruto a small smile - demure and submissive in a way to placate an alpha, an action she doesn't know she is doing. Too caught up in the sudden appearance of a hostile stranger.
"Naruto," Sasuke's brow twitches, noticing the subtle change but chalking it up to Chiaki's demure nature towards unfamiliarity, or perhaps towards Naruto as a shinobi. Frankly, the quick slip back into his perpetual blank look just means he doesn't care anymore.
"Sorry - am I interrupting your date?"
"This is Chiaki of the Omonamiya Clan."
He doesn't deny the date part. Naruto hums.
He gives Chiaki a once over and returns her fresh smile, this time without any hostility.
No matter, he needs to give Sasuke a reason to not invite this woman back into his apartment. "I got something for you, can I give it to you later?"
Chiaki gulps at the whiplash, her shoulders caving in as she quietly stares at the cracks on the pavement. She doesn't comment on his lack of introduction at all.
"Can't you give it to me now?"
"It's in your living room," Naruto leans more into his space and lowers his voice. "So come home early today, okay?"
Sasuke scowls at him but doesn't say anything else as he pushes Naruto's face away. "Go away, bastard, and don't tell me what to do."
Naruto laughs as Sasuke ushers Chiaki away and into a store. "I'll be waiting!"
Chiaki's gaze lingers on him, feeling at a loss with the conversation but finding nothing out of place.
She narrowly misses the dark, deadpan look Naruto levels straight at her as she leans into Sasuke's space just a little more.
She really can't wait to get these 13 dates over and marry Sasuke.