Armor
"I'm hurting now because I had those ties! I lost everything once, I never want to go through that again..."
He shielded himself in the armor of indifference, not wanting to let anyone get to close—he was too scared to get hurt again, to face loss again. But, day by day, his armor was breaking down.
"Sasuke, do you want to come eat ramen with us?" Sakura smiled at him brightly.
"...Sure, why not?" Sasuke sighed, trying hard not to smile back. Just keep ignoring her, stupid...
That was hard to do the way Sakura kept glancing at him from the corners of her eyes before looking away again. He met her eyes once by mistake and she blinked and turned away quickly, blushing.
Sasuke rolled his eyes—all the while trying his hardest not to think about how fast his heart was racing at the moment.
Don't make eye contact again... It's too dangerous.
He didn't want to start falling for her by mistake—love was the last thing he needed.
"Run, cling to your wretched life... Hate me, grow stronger, and meet me again when we share the same eyes..."
No, he could not afford such a weakness. Sasuke had to be strong if he wanted his revenge.
So he put up walls around his heart, refused to let anyone slip in under his armor. He was a loner, an avenger, nothing more.
He didn't want anyone, didn't need anyone, didn't care about—
"What took you two so long?" Naruto asked, grinning at his team-mates.
Sakura smiled and glanced at Sasuke. "We took our time, that's what!"
Sasuke smirked and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, moron. You had a head-start, that's all."
—He didn't care about anyone, not even Naruto or Sakura. They were temporary distractions, nothing more. And if his heart race picked up sometimes around them (especially her) that was nothing to be concerned about.
It didn't mean anything.
...At least, that's what he told himself.
...
Author: Wow, a drabble from before Sasuke left Konoha! A few of the earlier episodes have tiny little moments that can be (possibly) taken as hints. If you ask me, I think Sasuke was trying a little too hard to be indifferent towards Sakura.
If he really did struggle with ignoring his team-mates, then it lends evidence to the fact that he really did care about them...