Disclaimer: Not in my fourties, not japanese, not male. What made you think I owned Naruto?
Author's Note: Nearly 300 words... but not quite. It's ends very abruptly in my opinion, but I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles. See that? I just made a reference to Bruce Almighty ;D
Everything's black and white, he reminds himself. There is right, there is wrong, and then there is pride. There is no grey, he intones in his head, and there is no going back. It's a rather weak attempt at delusion, but he's heard it so many times in the past few weeks that he almost finds himself believing.
The realisation scares him, and he pauses for a moment, one foot poised in the air before him and one chakra-stuck to the thick branch under him. It's a rather comical position, but he doesn't notice, too preoccupied by the thoughts swirling through his head. The fat guy to his right and the girl with the pink hair are laughing though. That he notices, but he still can't bring himself to care.
He knows he's on thin ice, the river's flowing fast beneath and he's about to take that tiny little step or put that slight bit of extra pressure on his right foot that could mean the difference between living and dying; living happy or killing a murderer. It's always been an easy choice, despite what everyone thinks. Living happy, of course, but he knows that whatever he wants is never what he needs. He denies himself happiness, but this is no selfless good deed, no act of courage to keep any other safe. This is pride.
Everything's black and white, he tells himself. There is no grey and there is no going back.
With this once again reaffirmed, Sasuke resumes his travel through the trees, wind in his hair, silent and swift. The others lag behind him at first, not anticipating his sudden motion, but they soon catch up, matching him leap for leap.