Sakura was a smart girl, and with her sharp intuition, she noticed that something was off with Naruto and Sasuke.
Of course, it wasn't that they were involved with each other, but recently, these two had developed an intense interest in recovering from their injuries and getting stronger. While they had always been passionate about training, their attitude had shifted noticeably in the past while.
For example, Naruto no longer just teased Sasuke occasionally, but his eyes were full of fighting spirit. Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't mock Naruto anymore; his eyes only held a desire for victory.
Sakura knew that these two would eventually have a showdown. They were both resting and gathering their strength, waiting for the day it would come.
At first, Sakura was really worried about Sasuke because something wasn't right with him. She sensed his inner turmoil—fear and hatred, even the willingness to give his life away. But now, that was gone.
It was like a clogged drain finally clearing up, flowing smoothly. Sakura was even a bit surprised by the change.
But it was a good thing. At least Sakura didn't have to worry about Sasuke being tempted by Orochimaru anymore.
Or maybe not?
She thought about it. As Naruto and Sasuke's conditions improved day by day, about a week later, they were both discharged from the hospital. And on the day they left, Sakura felt something—a strange, fear-filled feeling coming from Sasuke.
That night, Sakura was scared and couldn't sleep, so she ended up sitting outside Sasuke's house, staring silently at the ground. She stayed like that until late into the night, when she heard familiar footsteps approaching.
"Sakura?" Sasuke, carrying a bag, looked surprised to see her.
Sakura looked up at him, pain in her eyes. "Sasuke... are you really going to leave?"
She had expected this day to come, but she thought Sasuke might stay, at least for her, Naruto, or Kakashi-sensei. Was there really nothing in the village that Sasuke wanted to stay for?
Sakura's face showed her sadness.
Sasuke looked puzzled. He slowly walked up to Sakura and said, "What are you talking about? I'm just going out to train, not to find Orochimaru."
Sakura: "..."
Sasuke couldn't help but laugh. "Naruto was right. My goal isn't just revenge. I want Itachi to regret what he did. I'll kill him with my own hands, not by relying on things that don't belong to the Uchiha."
The pride of the Uchiha had returned to Sasuke, and it was this familiar pride that made Sakura so drawn to him.
Her face turned a little red, and she hurriedly said, "I-I'm sorry, Sasuke. I was just worried about you, so..."
Thinking back on her emotions, she felt a bit silly.
"I understand." Sasuke waved his hand to stop her, walking past her with his bag.
But then, he suddenly remembered something Naruto had said: "The ones who love you."
This wasn't about love in a romantic sense, but a recognition that came from a deep concern.
With that thought, Sasuke stopped, and with a gentleness he hadn't shown before, he looked at Sakura. "Sakura, thank you."
Sakura froze, staring at Sasuke in surprise.
In truth, she had gotten used to Sasuke never explaining anything, and to him ignoring her. She knew that Sasuke just wasn't good at expressing his feelings. But now, the smile on his face was not fake.
Sakura opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.
She watched Sasuke's retreating figure in silence, and when only his back was left, she took a deep breath and, with newfound courage, shouted, "Sasuke, be careful!"
Sasuke's figure didn't stop as he walked away, he simply extended his right hand and waved.
Sakura smiled sweetly.
More than ten minutes later, Sasuke glanced behind him, confirming that Sakura hadn't followed. His smile disappeared, and his face turned cold. "Sorry, Sakura."
As soon as he finished speaking, four figures suddenly descended. The four Otogakure ninjas kneeled on the ground, respectfully looking at Sasuke. "We've come to take you, Sasuke-sama."
Sasuke glanced at the four kneeling figures and coldly said, "What's with the attitude now?"
"Since you've already chosen Orochimaru-sama, we are your subordinates now, not like before," said Kidomaru, his face full of respect, though a hint of indifference hid beneath it.
There was no other choice. Sasuke's strength was not enough to command them yet; they were only kneeling because of Orochimaru's influence.
Sasuke realized this and looked at them disdainfully. "I preferred the rebellious attitude you had before."
"Sasuke-sama, you are joking," Kidomaru replied flatly.
Sasuke found it somewhat boring. "Let's go."
The four of them exchanged glances, then stood up and followed Sasuke.
In fact, they had been waiting here for several days. According to the agreement with Sasuke, if he didn't give an answer within a week, they would leave and declare the mission a failure.
Today was the last day.
The five of them moved forward without any obstacles, and it wasn't until they were completely out of Konohagakure's territory that they stopped.
Actually, it was more accurate to say that the four Otogakure ninjas surrounded Sasuke, forcing him to stop.
Sasuke coldly watched the scene, his Sharingan activating as he looked at the four. "What do you want?"
This time, it was Sakon who spoke, a cold smile at the corner of his mouth. "Sorry, Sasuke-sama, but Orochimaru-sama gave us prior instructions to do something."
"That's why I'm asking, what do you want!" Sasuke's Sharingan began to spin as his chakra surged.
The fat man, Jirobo, who was standing behind Sasuke, was somewhat surprised by Sasuke's calmness. He had originally planned to scare this new guy a bit, but after thinking for a moment, he sneered and said, "We need you, Sasuke-sama... to die once."
As he spoke, the four of them simultaneously grinned coldly. Except for Tayuya, who didn't look too frightening when he smiled, the other three looked like ghosts, and Sasuke's eyes hurt just looking at them.
He looked at them with great disdain, specifically the three from the field, and turned off his Sharingan, speaking carelessly, "Stop smiling, you look disgusting. It's painful to my eyes. Just get to the point."
The four of them: "..."
It was hard to keep a straight face, honestly.
Sakon's lips twitched, but he continued coldly, "Sasuke-sama, we really need you to die."
"I told you, stop smiling, it's too ugly," Sasuke said, looking at Sakon indifferently. "And if you want to kill me, fine. As long as you think your 'Orochimaru-sama' will spare you, go ahead. I don't care."
Sasuke didn't believe Orochimaru would go through all this trouble to capture him just to kill him. Besides, Orochimaru needed his body to get the Sharingan, so there was no way he would kill him. Sasuke was completely unafraid; he didn't believe these four would actually kill him.
The four Otogakure ninjas: "..."
Damn, that made too much sense, and they had no way to argue.
But this wasn't the right script. Wasn't Sasuke afraid of dying? Would he really be willing to take this risk before killing his brother?
The four of them were clearly frustrated.
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