…exactly how much can you change and get away with it, before you turn into someone else, before it's some kind of murder?

Sakura sighed. Her intimate inquiries would have to unfortunately remain without resolve, at least momentarily. There were other, more important things in need of her immediate attention. Like her dear whiskered teammate shifting uncomfortably next to her.

"I just don't get it, y'know?" With the wind as their sole companion, Naruto adjusted his hardened gaze, only to find her viridian eyes mirroring the same kind of sadness. "The bastard killed that psychopath. Why the hell can't he just come home?"

Sakura sighed and attentively placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I wish I knew, Naruto."

She kept her promise and told absolutely no one about her unexpected meeting with the missing-nin. Not talking about it seemed to do her no favors, unfortunately. In the privacy of her own time, it was all she could ever think about:

How they had fought together, saved each other's lives and...the fleeing kiss at the end of it all. In the privacy of her own time, against her will, she often returned to that day. She missed him.

However, keeping something as outrageous as that hidden from Naruto proved to be way more difficult than she wanted it to be. And it made her heart shrink with guilt. It was for the best, she knew. There was no real meaning in giving him hope just for it to be snatched away afterwards, especially with the disappointment they all suffered back at Orochimaru's hideout.

This was a fall she had to take all on her own.

"I swear Uchihas should come with a manual!" The blond complained, breaking her from thought, and as if sensing the tears forming in her eyes, Naruto pulled her into a tight hug. Sakura softly chuckled in his warm embrace as multiple images depicting her dense teammate actually studying, appeared in her mind.

"Don't worry, Sak. We're gonna figure this shit out," he encouraged, breaking the hug to find her eyes again.

A sad smile came into view as Naruto gently wiped away one of her tears."You're right, I'm sorry."

"You bet I am!" He brightly exclaimed, proudly content he managed to cheer her up, even if only by a little bit. "Just you wait, Sakura! Naruto Uzumaki never goes back on his word!"

This time around, Sakura's smile was genuine. She found it absolutely bizarre how he had always managed to calm her storms. She almost felt bad, since this whole discussion started with him needing her reassurance. How typical of Naruto, always putting other people's needs before his own. Still, he left her devoid of all the helplessness she'd felt not a full minute ago. Restored her spirit, giving way to determination once more.

"I believe you, Naruto," she said, rolling her eyes and roughly poking at his jacket.

He had never allowed her to feel alone, his optimism so contagious she felt it resonated all the way to her very bones.

As they had been made aware, Sasuke killed Orochimaru and despite this fact, he wasn't coming back to the village. But at least, they could take comfort in knowing he was no longer in any immediate danger. Now that he was dealt with, Orochimaru wouldn't be able to get his filthy hands on Sasuke's body anymore.

Most importantly, they took refuge in knowing that Sasuke himself never even intended to indulge him.

That was all the confirmation they needed: Sasuke had never been an innocent pawn, powerless in the face of the Sannin. No. All this time, he focused on constructing a plan of his own, a personal strategy that completely and utterly excluded whatever messed up objective Orochimaru had in mind for him.

It was Orochimaru who had been the unfortunate pawn in Sasuke's carefully chosen narrative, proving once more that, undoubtedly, he stayed true to his untamed Uchiha blood.

He wasn't returning to Konoha, and maybe he had been unfairly cold-hearted when they bumped into each other at the Snake's hideout all those months ago.

In spite of it all, Sakura found it surprisingly easy to trust in his judgment, albeit curious of the reasoning behind his controversial actions.

She warmly spared Naruto another grateful smile, eternally thankful for his kindness and dedication all the same, and then looked to the sky above. Astute thoughts started flowing in more clearly, now that she could analyze the situation in a more suitable manner. She felt that she needed to do something for Sasuke.

After their secret encounter, something inside her completely shifted. They'd fought together and somehow, she took pride in admitting that maybe, she came a little closer to understanding him, too. Surely not in the same way Naruto understood him, but in a different way, Sakura found she'd managed to find the string that connected the both of them separately.

Because for the longest time, she had always known she loved him, she had always known what he meant to her. However, she never really succeeded in pin-pointing exactly where they stood with each other. She was sure she loved Naruto as a brother and respected Kakashi like a father but Sasuke? She was completely, utterly, shamelessly in love with the guy. She had accepted there was no changing that.

They were comrades, yes, but...Calling them friends was a pathetic, diluted version of what they really were. Sakura didn't know what exactly they were to each other either, not specifically anyway, she just knew that her bond with Sasuke was colored and shaped in a completely different manner than all the others.

And now, he was running off again, slipping through her fingers in his stupid quest for revenge. She wouldn't force him to come back. She just needed to make sure he realized what he was getting himself into.

And her best chance at eluding that mystery had to be pursuing the answers directly from the man himself, right?

She'd managed to find him once (accidentally), surely she could do it again. Sound wasn't all that far from the village anyway, and he couldn't have possibly vanished from the face of the Earth in the span of a few days, right? She just had to carefully plan out her next move:

Where would I go if I was Sasuke right now? Lady Tsunade said he's gathering a team. Wait—what the hell? Are we not good enough for him anymore? Jerk. Naruto was so right, I could SO use an Uchiha how-to book for dummies right now…But who am I kidding? I would've DIED for one when we were younger. Would've saved me lots of tears, that's for sure, especially that time he scared me to death by almost DYING on that bri-

Eyes widening, she gasped at the realization.

BINGO!

Of course, she nostalgically thought. That's where I would go, too.

"C'mon, not you too Sakura! Nobody ever listens to me around here!" The blond grumbled, a familiar, comical expression molding his features.

"Huh?"

"I said: wanna go grab something to eat? I still got two coupons left for Ichiraku Ramen." He returned, exposing the two pieces of yet-to-be claimed bounties.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," she politely declined as he deflated in disappointment, "I, uh, have a mission. It's no biggie, so don't worry. You know I can't disclose any more information, but I'll be back in a few days okay?"

With his rigorous training going on and everything, Sakura couldn't have possibly asked him to come with. Besides, all along Naruto had been the one to carry the weight of the world on his bare shoulders. Not to mention, the Akatsuki stalking his every move. It was about time she took matters into her own hands.

"That's weird, I don't remember Granny Tsunade giving you a mission but she sure is working you to the bone, Sakura." He playfully replied, embracing her vigorously. "Be careful, promise me." I couldn't stand it if anything were to happen to you, Sakura perfectly understood his unspoken plea.

"I promise, Naruto," she returned reassuringly.

They broke apart after awhile, and Sakura started walking in the direction of her apartment. Before going too far though, something made her turn around, only to find Naruto's compassionate eyes following her retreating form.

"Hey Naruto! Let's get ramen when I get back, alright?" The young nin shouted, lavishly smiling at him.

Naruto stared at her a moment longer, taken aback by her surprising demeanor. "Sure thing!" He furiously blushed, characteristically rubbing the back of his head with his right hand.

They'd gingerly waved at each other for a while, before Sakura finally jumped on top of a building, hurrying home to pack. She planned to leave that same night, as soon as possible, and travel until morning. Her odds looked better without having to sleep alone in enemy territory.

This was a solo mission, after all. She was really starting to like those.


"So what are you saying? Zabuza's sword is here?"

Unimpressed by Suigetsu's need for conversation, Sasuke kept his eyes on the road. He had spent the last three years without much verbalized communication, he sure as hell wasn't going to start indulging in any useless bed-time stories now. He was a child no more and he had only one goal, he'd made that perfectly clear to Suigetsu when he freed him.

But for some reason, the white haired man seemed to have missed the part where he thoroughly explained this wasn't going to be any trivial adventure or a fucking field trip.

Sasuke was an intelligent man, an astonishingly skilled shinobi. He knew that if he wanted to kill his deceitful brother, he needed a plan. An impeccable one, to be more exact. Itachi was no ordinary ninja, so Sasuke needed unordinary weapons in his arsenal. Suigetsu just happened to possess a very unique ability that Sasuke deemed appropriate and would most likely prove useful along the way.

But now? Suigetsu seemed incapable of shutting the fuck up for two seconds.

"C'mon Sasuke, why all the secrecy?" He provoked, slurping nonchalantly from a half–empty water flask. "How'd you even know where the Executioner's Blade is anyway?"

The Uchiha sighed, completely ignoring Suigetsu's intrusive curiosities. He raised his head slowly, taking in the rather unnerving sight before his bottomless onyx eyes.

"'The Great Naruto Bridge'," Suigetsu recited, tilting his head at the questionable choice of a title. "Well that's an unusual name for a bridge, don't you think?" He mocked, following Sasuke's indication to hurry along.

He hated to admit it, but it was certainly a peculiar name. All of them were, very colorful and weird and loudmouthed and all of a sudden, Sasuke started doubting his decision of taking Suigetsu along. How fucking unlucky, to be mercilessly haunted by the presence of people both dead and alive.

.

.

.

.

They slowly approached the nostalgic hill where the graves of Zabuza and Haku remained untouched, as if guarded by Heaven itself. Well, save for the enormous shitty blade, apparently. As in, their only reason for coming all the way to The Land of Waves.

"What am I gonna do now? That sword is my legacy, I'm telling you!" Suigetsu bitterly complained but Sasuke merely turned his back to leave.

"We're asking the villagers. Follow me."

Suigetsu sighed, and before resuming his place beside the dark haired man, he raised his hand in attempt to touch one of the graves.

Suddenly, a kunai knife flew right past his fingers, forcing him to immediately rethink his earlier curiosity.

"What the hell?"

Not a full second passed before Sasuke appeared at his side, Sharingan swirling in his daunting eyes, hands at the ready.

"Hands off!" A soft but firm feminine voice echoed through the forest, a voice Sasuke had been as surprised to hear a few months prior as he was surprised to hear it now.

"Sakura," he acknowledged, as his former pink haired teammate landed right in front of them.

Suigetsu curiously studied the young kunoichi, taken aback by all the animosity a seemingly innocent pair of bright green eyes could muster. Sasuke moved enough to partially block her from his view, just enough for it to go unnoticed. As if anticipating his imprudent and filthy curiosity.

"You! The one with the fangs! If you ever so much as breathe next to their graves again, I will tear you apart, you hear me?" Suigetsu eyed her for a second longer, then proudly smirked.

"Aren't you a feisty little thing? My, my, and what a pretty one at that." He shifted his eyes towards Sasuke, surprised to find he'd already deactivated his infamous ocular powers.

"So, who's the girl? She coming with us?"

"No." He admitted, never taking his eyes away from hers. The kunoichi exhaled, slowly putting away her kunai. Taking on a seemingly more relaxed stance, she spoke:

"Sasuke, I need to talk to you. Don't worry, nobody knows I'm here."

"Oh, so you do know each other then. Mind introducing me?"

"That's enough Suigetsu. What do you want, Sakura." He openly glared at her, properly displeased by the unforeseen change of plans.

Didn't he know, though? That when it came to them, when it came to her, his whole life turned into one big fucking miscalculation? Which is exactly why he had removed himself from the very prospect of unpredictability. He just had to figure out how to handle it when it followed.

"Can we go somewhere else, please? Shark face over here is giving me the creeps."

"Suigetsu, pleased to meet you! Tell you what though, I'll make an exception and let you call me whatever you want. How about it, Pinky?"

Sasuke scowled. Exactly what he needed, his newly found, incredibly insufferable travel companion smitten with the very girl that always ruined his plans. The one girl that shamelessly kissed him a year ago.

He sighed, thinking about all the unnecessary explaining he'd be forced to do if he granted her request, so instead he settled for something else:

"Whatever it is, make it quick. Before I slit your throat."

He had almost regretted the harshness of his words when she visibly flinched, only to be taken aback by a sudden blazing determination.

"No. You won't kill me. I don't believe you."

He stiffened at the bold certainty of her words, quickly calling upon his Sharingan. Who did she think she was? Telling him what he would or would not do. Foolishly believing she still knew him, thinking her existence had any meaning to him whatsoever. He'd told her, hadn't he? That the next time they meet, he would be her enemy. Nothing more, nothing less.

Proved it, even, back when Team 7 stupidly stormed inside Orochimaru's hideout looking for him.

He remembered seeing Sakura fiercely plunge towards whom he discovered then to be his silly replacement, a man known by the name Sai. Against his will, he noticed her hair was cut shorter than it had been back in the forest. She seemed to be uncharacteristically angry, shouting obscenities at the unfamiliar figure. Her trembling voice stopped only the moment he called her name and for what felt like an eternity, they started at each other. He had titled his blade with clear intent. They were enemies and she'd proved it, too, fist charged with pulsating chakra, aiming for him.

So why mock him now? Putting away all her pathetic ninja gear and letting her guard down, fighting him only with the bewitchingly green of her eyes. Acting as if all it had ever been, was pretend.

In the next second, Sakura found herself strongly pinned against the nearest tree, sword ruthlessly pressed to her neck. She gasped, but to his surprise, quickly recovered. And with a boldness frightening to him, Sakura locked her gaze with his. Unafraid and confident, she looked deeply into reddened eyes.

"Do it, then." She defied.

"Woah, woah! That's no way to treat a girl as pretty as that, Sasuke. Come o–"

"Silence!"

Damn it. Damn Suigetsu and his unwelcome comments, and damn Sakura with her pretty parted lips and damn he should have known this was going to happen. Sasuke was a man known for his unparalleled control, but his thoughts betrayed him then, with her curves tightly pressed against his body.

He inwardly cursed his gender and the entirety of his absent sanity. Suigetsu was right, this was not how a man should treat someone as fucking beautiful and kind and giving as Sakura Haruno was, but Sasuke had long lost the right to righteousness.

He'd long ago renounced any right he might've had at some point or another, any privilege she might've wholeheartedly offered him in the past. Because she did. Sakura offered him everything. But he turned her down and left her and her beautiful world to avenge the honor of his dead family. He left for a reality in which spring didn't exist, only the harshest of winters. So who was she, to storm his privacy with certainties he'd long lost the right to have, and tempt him with her everything all other again?

He wouldn't let her become a distraction, he had learned more than enough lessons from what happened the last time she felt so close. He wouldn't allow her to bloom in this cold world of his, making him lose sight of his purpose.

His whole existence meant only one thing: killing Itachi. He would not allow her to strip him of his purpose by giving him another.

But Sasuke couldn't, wouldn't take her life. His selfishness, however broad, had its regrettable limits. His weakness appeared in pale shades of pink and green and suddenly, he let her go, as if burnt by the very look in her eyes.

"Five minutes." He bit out, storming deeper into the forest.


Author's Note:

hi. it's late. i'm going to sleep but i hope you like this chapter. i removed the suffixes because it doesn't feel organic using them in this story, mainly because it's in english but whatever. i like it better this way. that's just my preference.

review? :)