Two Sasukes faced each other, the atmosphere slightly awkward at the moment.
"Isn't Karin from Kusagakure Village? Even if her ancestors were connected to Konohagakure, it's not that simple to join Team 7, right? And in your world, she's from Konohagakure?" the young Sasuke asked.
"Ah? Karin? What does she have to do with this?"
"Why wouldn't it concern her?"
"Because I married Sakura."
At these words, the young Sasuke was struck silent, his gaze lost as he looked at the adult Sasuke, recalling the classic scene where Sakura managed to offend four people with a single sentence, his head buzzing.
"Why aren't you speaking?"
Adult Sasuke asked.
"How did you come to like this person?"
Young Sasuke asked with furrowed brows, unable to find any reason to like Sakura. She lacked strength, character, family influence, and wasn't particularly more attractive than others, even slightly less so than Ino or Hinata.
So, what did he like about Sakura? Liking Hinata would make more sense, wouldn't it? At least Hinata was his equal, both geniuses of the great eye technique clans of Konohagakure, definitely stronger than Sakura.
"Because she likes me and treats me well, so I should reciprocate," adult Sasuke replied, though his eyes dimmed.
To be honest, he didn't know how he came to like Sakura. Before the great battle with Naruto, they were at most teammates, without any special feelings.
After the final battle with Naruto, he began to seek understanding of the bonds Naruto spoke of, thus he started connecting with those around him, establishing bonds, leading to this outcome.
So...
Win and become Hokage, lose and marry Sakura?
"Is there a possibility, just a possibility, that the real reason you're so irresponsible is that you actually don't like Sakura? That due to various things and reasons, you were forced to make a choice, and then you began to mistakenly believe you liked her, leading to the current situation?" the young one pondered aloud.
"I don't like her?"
"That's right, love is about two people, mutual giving and reliance, not about responding to one person's pursuit out of pity—that's not love," young Sasuke continued.
Indeed, Sasuke didn't actually like Sakura; at that time, he hadn't met anyone he liked more, and Sakura just happened to be the person closest to him. Plus, Naruto and others would matchmake them, resulting in a marriage with Sakura, but not complete happiness.
Sakura liked him, and their married life wasn't bad, just lacking that innate, soul-deep liking, his love more born of responsibility.
This kind of marriage is the norm for most people, settling for someone relatively good but not truly liked, leading to a life that seems fine on the surface but always feels like something's missing. Eventually, life grinds down the edges, either dulling the sense of oddness with responsibility or letting the feeling erode the sense of duty. In the end... sigh!
Going on missions is important, but is it so important that Sasuke must be away all year, unable to return home more often each month or year? Naruto is the Hokage, his brother, and it wouldn't be hard to reduce the workload a bit if he wished.
But why didn't he speak?
In his heart, Sakura and his family were important, but not to the extent that he felt the need to ask Naruto for leave or to visit home more often. Being away on missions was just as well for him.
Sasuke felt guilty towards Sakura and Sarada, not because he loved Sakura deeply, but because he felt a responsibility towards them. Sakura was a good girl, and he believed he should care for her better.
So, if he had to choose again, Sasuke would likely continue his travels because, in his heart, family wasn't that important.
Humans are such creatures, always finding excuses for what they don't love enough, like the village or being busy at work. There might be genuine cases of busyness, but not for Sasuke. With his strength and connections, he could afford not to be so busy.
However, it wasn't that he didn't like Sakura at all. After all, having lived together for so long, even a dog can grow a feeling on you, let alone a person. There was definitely affection and love, just not as pure or intense.
After some reflection, adult Sasuke's attitude underwent a subtle shift. Initially, he didn't understand love and thought that a simple life with someone at home and children was quite good.
But then,
When he saw the pride and happiness on young Sasuke's face, he understood. The younger Sasuke's joy was genuine, and he was much happier than his older self.
But what could he do now, even after seeing his younger, happier self?
All he could do was lament the unpredictability of life.
"So, does that mean the outcomes of another world are of no reference value to us?" Ino asked, hand on her chin.
"Not necessarily. Hinata's competitiveness is quite a bit less than Sakura's," Karin said with a smile.
"Hmph!" Ino let out a cold laugh, then continued after a moment's thought, "You're still sick and need to recover. Wait for it, I'll make you a nourishing soup to drink tomorrow."
"Ah, no, please don't!"
Karin's mouth twitched.
The nourishing soup was indeed beneficial, but the taste of Ino's concoction was... challenging to describe. The recipe was Naruto's, with a strong herbal medicine flavor.
Bitter medicine is good for your health.
"No, no, no, I'm doing this for your own good. You should be happy about it!"
"Ah, not really, I don't think it's necessary. I'll, I'll ask Sasuke to make something for me to eat," Karin said in a fluster.
"Alright, then I'll tell Sasuke. Naruto gave me a tonic recipe, and I'll have Sasuke make it for you to drink. He likes you so much, he'll surely do everything to make you drink it," Ino said, her smile growing thicker.
"Sigh."
After hearing about the situation, Hinata felt a bit conflicted. The reason was simple: if Sasuke had fallen for Sakura and started a family, her chances with Naruto would diminish, affecting her previously good mood.
No, she couldn't just bear it!
With that, Hinata's gaze began to wander, and soon, the cheerful Boruto caught her attention. She said with a smile, "Boruto, your strength is still too weak. Let's continue our intensive training tomorrow, and we'll see when you're ready."
"Ah?"
Boruto's smile froze, and his mouth twitched as he looked at Hinata and said, "I don't think that's necessary. Training should be steady and grounded. It's wrong to want to reach the sky in one step. Rather than a short-term boost from intensive training, I'd prefer to grow stronger through long-term effort."
"Hehe."
Hinata just smiled, a rather unsettling smile.
Boruto bit his lip and turned to Jugo, who was watching the scene unfold, and pleaded, "Help me, Jugo!"
(End of Chapter)
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