Different
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
This is my first fanfiction so please go easy on me.
Chapter 1: His Return
Sakura's POV
I couldn't believe it. Right in front of me was he. The one that I fell head over heals for when I was 12. The one that ignored me no matter how nice I was to him. The one that betrayed me and the village for power and revenge. The one that came back, claiming that he fulfilled his vengeance. The one and only…………Uchiha Sasuke.
I had to try my best not to stare at him in awe. After all, it's been three whole years since I've seen him. And no matter how hard I tried to deny it, he was as handsome as ever. He was taller, and looked stronger. He still had an emotionless expression. But the part that was really surprising was his eyes. They were still cold, but there was something different about them. It was as if they had no emotion in them at all. They were, blank. I mean, he never was a spirited kid, but his eyes did have some sort of light in them. Now, they're just blank.
I was barely able to pay attention to Tsunade-sama. I only heard pieces of her lecture, like probation, interrogation, earning the villager's trust, and being watched by the ANBU .But most of the time, I was lost in y own thoughts. Why did he come back? How much has he changed? Will team seven be the same again? All these questions went on in my head. I didn't know the answers. I only knew one thing. I was over him. I will not treat him any different than a comrade. I have grown stronger after these three years. I can pull my own weight during missions and I'm one of the best medic-nin in all of Konoha.
I looked around the room. Naruto looked surprisingly serious, which is something that the blond loudmouth never achieved. He was staring straight at Tsunade-sama. His eyes must hurt a lot cause I don't think he even blinked once the whole time.
Kakashi-sensei was a different story. His face was emotionless. Usually, I'm able to read his facial expressions, even under his mask. But not today. He's wearing the same face he does when we're on an important mission.
Finally, there was Sasuke. He looked same as always. Emotionless, sitting there, and never taking hi eyes off of Tsunade-sama. Come on, he's Sasuke after all.
And me, well, I surprisingly handling this very well. I forced an emotionless mask on my face and never looked in the direction of the traitor. I stood perfectly still, in between Naruto and Kakashi-sensei. I didn't show any sign of nervous fidgeting. I did not smile, nor did I frown. There was no way I was going to show any kind of weakness in front of him. He is going to learn that this time, it's different. I'm different.
When Tsunade-sama finished explaining the consequences for Sasuke's betrayal, the room became silent. The atmosphere was slightly intense. Then Naruto broke the silence.
"Welcome back, teme."
Typical Naruto. We all waited for Sasuke to respond.
"…Hn…….dobe."
I found it hard to keep my emotionless mask on. How long I've heard those phrases. Kakashi-sensei dropped his poker face and smiled. He went over to Sasuke and ruffled his hair. Sasuke, of course, didn't like this one bit. He returned the gesture with a famous Uchiha glare, probably the only sign of any emotion I've seen from him the whole time he was here. Finally, all the eyes were on me. I bet they expected me to act 12 years old: to go up to him and give him a huge with tears pouring down my face. To tell him how much I missed him and love him. But like I said, I'm different. The actions I chose surprised every one in the room, including myself a little bit. I went up to him until we were only inches apart. I did the most unexpected thing. I slapped him.