Chapter Thirty-Seven; The Path to Redemption
Sasuke quickly slammed on the brakes and a came to a screeching stop on the side of the road before turning his head over to look at Naruto. "You know I just realized something." He began. "You didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Hinata did you?" he questioned him but Naruto just breathed a heavy sad sigh and hung his head.
"Nah just forget about it. I already said goodbye to the kids and I would much rather that they would be the ones saying goodbye to her for me." He replied.
"Well alright, I know how you feel." Sasuke told him before he stepped back on the gas and accelerated again. Naruto slowly turned his head and looked outside the window before resting it up against his seatbelt. "Are you okay?" he asked him before he put his foot back on the brake and stopped again turning back over to look at him.
"No." he answered.
"Me neither." Sasuke began. "But remember what you told me? We're a team and we're going to get through this together. Just like we've always had." He finished as Naruto lifted his head again and turned it back over to look at him and grinned.
"Just like we always will." He told him.
"Hn." Sasuke began grinning back at him. "It's hard to believe that someone so annoying as you can really be so loveable when you want to be." He told him stepping back on the gas for the second time and turning the corner.
"What are you talking about? I'm always loveable!" he exclaimed indignantly while folding his arms.
"Correction. I always love you but you're not always easy to love." Sasuke told him.
"Oh yeah? Well speak for yourself Sasuke!" he snapped before growling and turning his head away from him as Sasuke laughed.
"Boy, he sure is lucky he's cute." He thought to himself.
….
Sasame heaved a heavy sigh while she sat at the edge of the dock dangling her legs over it. That's when suddenly she heard footsteps behind her. She gasped before quickly turning her head around only to see Boruto standing behind her. "Oh Boruto, it's just you." She said before turning her head again and looking back out over the ocean while he sat down right beside her.
"Yeah, I just came over to see how you were doing." He said.
"Really? What would you want to do that for?" she wondered.
"Well, because you and I are cousins after all and I know that it must be hard having your father suddenly take off like that and leave you and your mother behind." He told her.
"Yeah, it is. Just like I'm sure that it's hard for you too." She said.
"No, not really. I'm used to it. Even when my father is in the hidden leaf village he's hardly ever around. He's too busy working. He doesn't have a lot of time for me or my mother. And my little brother and sister." He told her. "But you've had your father around ever since you were a baby." He pointed out.
"Yeah. And he's never been away from me and my mother for more than a day. We don't even know where he's going or when he'll be back. In fact, we don't even know if he's coming back at all." She admitted with another sad sigh.
"My father said that a long time ago your father did leave the hidden leaf village behind and tried to destroy it." Boruto said.
"What!?" Sasame exclaimed with incredibility and disbelief.
"Yeah I know. He wasn't always as nice as he is now. My father said that he used to be a rogue ninja and tried to kill him and your mother." Boruto said before Sasame quickly leapt to her feet and pointed an angry finger at him.
"That's a lie! My father would never try to do that to her!" she yelled while narrowing her eyebrows and glaring at him before he jumped to his feet as well.
"Oh yeah, well if I'm a liar that makes my father one as well!" he cried as they both growled at each other before Sasame clenched her fists together. "You know, instead of accusing him for being a liar for something you're not even sure of yourself, why don't you just go ask your mother instead! I mean after all, she was there!" he hollered.
"Fine! I will!" Sasame snapped before turning her back towards him and folding her arms and then running away.
…
Sasame slammed the front door as she came inside the house. "Wow, what's got you so upset?" her mother asked her.
"Boruto!" she cried.
"Uh oh, what happened?" she asked her.
"He said that his father told him that my father used to be a rogue ninja and that he tried to kill you but I told him that he was lying!" she exclaimed while Sakura sadly glanced down at the ground. "Isn't that crazy?" she questioned before Sakura took a deep breath and sighed.
"Yeah, insane." She answered.
"You mean,.. he really did?" Sasame asked her.
"Listen Sasame, what you've got to understand about that is that your father hasn't had an easy life. I mean his whole entire clan was murdered by his own brother when he was just a little kid." She told her daughter.
"It was?" Sasame questioned her with uncertainty while widening her eyes with bewilderment.
"He was a whole different person back then. He wasn't in his right mind. But after all that time that your uncle Naruto and I continued staying by his side he eventually apologized and he fell in love with me. He would never try and hurt me now or you. You have to understand that." She said as Sasame heaved another little sigh.
"I guess so." She replied.
"Your father loves you Sasame and so do I. That's the whole entire reason he's doing this you know. He's trying to find his redemption and protect us." Sakura told her before planting a kiss on her cheek. "You'll understand someday." She told her before she turned around and walked away.