An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: M
Relationship: Sarutobi Asuma/Uchiha Itachi
Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Missing-Nin Sarutobi Asuma, Akatsuki Asuma, Canon-Typical Violence, Slow Burn, friends to almost strangers to lovers, asuma is a good guy and a good friend, smutty tags to be added when author actually gets to writing those parts
Summary: Asuma felt overwhelmed when he returned to Konoha, the village different from how he remembered. But he quickly realized he had never really known the village at all after his dad told him the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre and the lengths he went to in protecting the ‘peace’. Asuma was never the type of man who believed that the ends justified the means and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stay in the village with the lie always on the tip of his tongue. So he didn’t stay.
Leaving Konoha again was an easy choice, one Asuma didn’t regret. But he was still trying to figure out if chasing down Itachi trying to assuage his own guilt had been the right thing to do, especially as he realized that he had never really known Itachi either.
written for day 3 missing nin of @asumaweek!!