No.

[ the answer is immediate, but not short. a denial based on fact instead of vehemence. naruto would never consider any of his friends capable of falling short. not in any capacity. they've always tried their best, worked their hardest, and given their all.

people are not failures.
people are people.

but beyond that, naruto isn't reaching out because their bond is suffering. instead it's-

the chuckle comes out under his breath, and naruto's head tilts back. rests against the wall. ]

I guess this is pretty strange, huh?

It's only that- I wonder how Lee was able to reach out to you. You're a quiet guy, and I always thought everything came so easily to you. Maybe it just reminded me of him.

We're shinobi, so we're always coming together in a fight. But this war won't last forever. And I don't want- I don't want anyone to become lost, when it's over. I want Sasuke to have memories and experiences that- [ that are more than how they've been taught to define a ninja. where he can have worth outside of his strength and outside of a battle. ]

I want to be his partner, even when we don't need to be partners anymore.